Stalkers
by Nizoyo
Summary: The boys from Nozu continue to follow Jade and Tori around. How will they deal with being stalked? Jori FRIENDSHIP. Rated T for strong language.
1. Prologue

**Not my first story, but my first story on this account. It's also my first story in this realm. Hope you like this prologue!**

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><p>The play was finally over. Tori and I had done a great job. We were taking our bows when I spied the two freaks from Nozu clapping ten times louder than the rest. I whispered to Tori, "It's them! It's them! What do we do?"<p>

"Run. Run, Nancy!"

"Yes Walter," I hurriedly replied. The boys stood up as we both ran out, but the curtains closed before they could get anywhere near us. I quickly got out of costume and was wandering around backstage, looking for Cat who wanted to go out for ice cream, when then Tori approached me. "Thank god! I did not want to have to deal with them again!"

"I know! They were so annoying. Next time I see them, I'm going to castrate them!"

"A little violent, don't you think?"

"No. Have you even met me, Tori? I thought-" I began, when two unfortunately familiar voices made their way to my ears.

"What?"

"Shut up! Do you hear them?"

"Oh my god! What the hell are they doing back here?"

"I dunno, Vega. But we gotta get out of here before they find us." We both ran out of Hollywood Arts, running faster after we heard footsteps coming after us. We were halfway through the parking lot, but the footsteps were getting closer and closer. Suddenly, a hand gripped my arm just below the elbow, and the person behind it spun me around.

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><p><strong>So? Did you like it? Should I continue? Read and review.<strong>

**~Building Castles**

**And now, my wisdom for this chapter:**

_**A Light Heart Lives Longest**_


	2. Cars, Coffee, and Cocoa

**Ok. This chapter would have been uploaded several hours ago, but whenever I tried to get to the Doc manager, it told me I wasn' logged in. I tried for an hour, and even though I could reach every other option, I couldn't get to that one. But on a different note, you guys are awesome! That was the quickest response I've ever had! Thank you guys so much for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! You guys rock! Also, clarification is needed/ The first chapter was a prologue. It wasn't meant to be long, because, at the time, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue it. Plus, where I ended seemed like a good place to stop. I'm sorry for any confusion that caused. So, here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable!**

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><p>Previously:<p>

_We were halfway through the parking lot, but the footsteps were getting closer and closer. Suddenly, a hand gripped my arm just below the elbow, and the person behind it spun me around._

**Jade's POV**

"Dammit Beck! You scared the shit out of me!" I yelled. Tori, who had ran a few more yards before turning back, agreed. "Beck!" she whined. "There was a reason we were running! You scared me! I thought I was going to get killed"

Beck smirked. "Oh yeah? And what might that reason be?"

"It's just…It's…It's a long story, Beck. One that I d don't have time to tell," I replied, swiftly turning on my heel and stomping off. Tori hurriedly ran after me, hissing "Jade! Why don't we just tell him?"

"Because! I don't want him to know."

"And why's that? Is it 'cause you still love him?"

"Shut it Vega! Do you want a ride, or do you want to walk home?"

"Fine…Please Jade? I'm sorry! Give me a ride?"  
>The rest of the walk to my car was silent, but I couldn't help but feel someone was watching us. I brushed it off as an overprotective Beck. We got to my car, and just as I put the key in the door, I felt someone breathing on the back of my neck. "Geez, Beck. What do you want now?"<p>

I slowly turned around, and my breath hitched in my throat. I was about to scream, when a shadowy hand covered my mouth. The rank smell of his breath just barely met my nose, but it was still too much. He growled and gleefully said, "It's not Beck. Guess again!"

On the other side of the car, I could hear Tori complaining about unlocking the door. "C'mon Jade! I said I was sorry! Open the door already!" The boy lifted his hand off my face while saying, "Jade, you better answer your friend."

"Tori! I think we have bigger problems."

"What?"

"Tori, look behind you." She must have turned around, because I heard the beginnings of a shriek, but it quickly diminished.

"What do you want?" I breathed, afraid of what would happen if I made to much noise.

"You, obviously," he replied with a menacing grin that sent shivers down my spine. He grabbed my wrists and started moving closer and closer, until his face was only inches from mine. He puckered up. Terrified, I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Suddenly, Beck was there punching the guy who had, just moments before, been about to kiss me. Then the creepy guys were at the wall of the parking lot then up and over it. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. Tori and Andre appeared, Tori sporting a horrified expression that must have mirrored mine.

"I don't know how to thank you," Tori exclaimed throwing her arms around Andre. He smiled and said, "No problem, Tori. I'm just glad we got to you guys before anything worse happened."

"Yeah. How did you guys know to come?" I asked, suspicious. I wondered if this wasn't some plot they had cooked up to scare us, or impress us.

"You left your purse backstage," Beck smirked, cockily swinging my purse from one of his hands. "You know," he continued, "you could thank us. I mean, we could have just saved your life."

"Thank you, Beck and Andre," I sighed.

"Now, are you gonna tell us what happened, or do we have to find out ourselves?" Andre probed, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, just… let's go to my house. I really don't want to be here much longer; especially if there's a chance they could come back. How did you guys get here?"

"Cat gave us a ride, but I think she left to go get ice cream."

"Okay, you want a ride?"  
>"Sure."<p>

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><p><strong>Tori's POV<strong>

The 30-minute ride to Jade's house was silent, except for when Andre had tried to break the awkwardness by talking about hot dogs. When nobody responded, he shut up. We finally pulled up to a brown, one story house. We piled out, and Jade unlocked the front door. A little boy with brown hair ran past us, yelling and screaming, and a woman who must have been Jade's mother ran after him. "Jade, you're home! I have a date tonight, so I need you to take care of your brother."

Jade raised her eyebrow. "Who you going out with tonight?" she asked. It seemed like she was used to her mother leaving at night.

"Henry." At this Jade scoffed.

"I thought you broke up?"

"We got back together," her mom replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready!" Jade's mom huffed, then turned and opened the door into what I can only assume was her bedroom.

"Okay, now that she's gone, do you guys want anything?" Jade asked as she walked into the living room and turned on Girly Cow. The boy ran into the room and sat cross-legged in front of the TV, immediately shutting up.

"Either way, I'm making coffee," she continued, moving into the kitchen.

"I'll have some," Beck answered.

"Andre? You want some cocoa?"  
>"Yeah! I'll make it. You still keep it in the same place?" Andre replied.<p>

"Whoa! You know where she keeps her cocoa?" I yelled. Andre was mine. It broke my heart when he had his crush on Jade, but to find out that he had been at her house, and enough times to know where Jade kept her cocoa, well that was adding insult to injury. I felt like my heart had been ripped out and was trampled by a herd of wild buffalo.

"Chill out, Tori! My grandma lives next door. Jade and I used to be best friends as kids!" Andre stated, his hands up in the air like he was being arrested

"Oh," I felt like an idiot. "Well, in that case… Can I have some cocoa?"

"Sure, Tori," Andre replied, smiling. He looked so sweet… I wish he felt the same way about me. All of a sudden, I realized he was staring at me.

"Tori? Tori? Are you all right?" His voice broke through the haze.

"Yeah… I was just thinking." I hurriedly replied, brushing my hair out of my face. I looked down, hoping he hadn't seen me blushing.

"Do you wanna talk about?" He asked.

"No. Not now. Anyway, you were saying?"  
>"Oh, yeah! Can you get the milk from the fridge?"<p>

"Sure. And the fridge is?"

"In the pantry," he laughed, pointing to a small door across the room. I opened the door and peered in. The room was small; shelves lined the walls, packed with food, and the refrigerator was in a small alcove next to the door. The milk was in a plastic carton in the right door of the fridge. I walked out of the pantry to see Andre putting a pot on the stove.

"Hey, Andre… what are you makin'?" I asked.

"Umm… still cocoa," he laughed.

"In a pot?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Give me the milk!" Andre took the milk and poured it into the pot. Jade and Beck were sitting at the kitchen table, so I pulled out a chair and joined them. We sat at the table, staring at each other awkwardly, until a timer dinged. Jade jumped up. "Coffee's done," she said as she reached up and grabbed two mugs.

Andre slowly walked over from the stove, carefully balancing two mugs full of cocoa and a plate of Oreos. He handed me one of the mugs, and sat down across from me, placing the cookies in the center of the table. Beck leaned in and took a couple, as jade returned to the table with their coffee. When we were all finally sitting at the table, Beck said, "So, do you wanna tell us now?"

Jade sighed and began the story.

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><p><strong>Ok, well after putting up the prologue I realized something. So… Many… Mistakes! Okay. Mistake #1 I don't own anything. I completely forgot to do the disclaimer in the prologue. Mistake #2 the "wisdom" at the bottom isn't mine. It's a translation of a Celtic proverb. Mistake #3 I forgot to ask you guys something. The two boys from Nozu need names! What do you think they should be? Also, should Jade's little brother make more appearances? If so, then he's going to need a name too. So, read and review!<strong>

**-Building Castles**

**And, here's today's wisdom:**

**A hint is sufficient for the wise.**


	3. Bush Daisies

**First off, I want to say thank you to all the awesome reviewers and to the people who subscribed or added this story to their favorites. Also, sorry for not updating, but I kinda had writer's blocke. Anyway, this is is chapter 2. And it's kinda crappy. Also, there was a minor summary change, to avoid confusion.**

**Disclaimer: As much as I want to... I don't own anything.**

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><p><strong>Jade's POV<strong>

It was 1 am when everyone finally left. Andre had called his cousin, and offered Beck and Tori a ride home. When everyone was gone, I let out a sigh of relief. It had been an exhausting evening, and not being able to touch Beck, to be with Beck, well... it had been torture. Whenever he made eye contact, my gaze flicked away because I couldn't bear it.

But hanging out with Andre was fun. Growing up we had been best friends, but after his grandma went insane, Andre and I drifted apart. At first, I don't think he wanted people knowing about his grandma. That was back in 5th grade. We didn't really speak to each other until freshman year, when he started hanging out with Beck. We talked a bit more that year, but when Vega showed up, he started chasing her. Then he had no time for me... and his opinion on me had changed completely. Now he called me "gank" and thought I was "scary." And I had lost my oldest friend. But it seemed like times were changing. Maybe things could go back to the way they were; maybe... if things betweenAndre and me could get better, things could get better with Beck too.

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><p><strong>Chad's POV<br>**Man, I can't wait to go on a date with Tori again. Last time was so much fun! She even sang a song for me. And her play… WOW! I mean, I've never seen a teenaged girl play a middle-aged man so well. And her bio, well, it proved she was just the girl for me.

_**Tori Vega**__ is excited to return to the Hollywood Arts stage for the fifth time. Her last appearance was in __Steam Boat Suzy__, but she was unfortunately unable to complete the performance opening night due to giving three pints of blood earlier in the day. She can't wait for you to see her play the role of Walter in __For the Love of Astronauts._

Man, she sounds so sweet and caring. She's perfect for me! And soon, she'll realize how great I am. I looked her up online, and found her address. I'm going to surprise her with a great romantic gesture!

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><p><strong>Tori's POV<strong>

It was almost 2 when I got home. Fatigued, I unlocked my door and trudged to the stairs, not bothering to turn on the lights. My parents were in Santa Barbra, and Trina had gone to a "friend's" party, where she would probably end up passed out on the couch like usual. I'd pick her up in the morning when somebody called. I yawned, and scratched my arm. For some reason, my body seemed like it was on fire. I tripped a few times while walking up the stairs, but I reached the door to my room unharmed.

I opened it up and reached for the light switch. The bed was covered in flower pedals. Then it clicked in my mind. There was a trail of bush daisies. The trail must have started at the door. My throat started to close up, as I gasped for air. I scrambled over to my bedside table, hoping my EpiPen was there. I jumbled through the first drawer, but nothing. The second and third were the same. Desperate, my eyes wandered around the room, passing over the bookshelves, the window, the bed, but something drew me back to the window. There. A Shadow. Flickering, but still there. Then, I saw the face in the tree, one with large eyes and dirty blonde hair that I would never forget. Chad. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was his face moving out of sight.

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><p><strong>Wow. Almost as short as the prologue. I"ll try and update again soon. Blondie was definitely Chad. And grey jacket dude will be called either Steve, Adam, Jason, or Jake.<strong>

**Building castles.**


	4. Hospitals are Buildings of Death

**Finally done with it! Hope you liked it. And grey jacket's going to be Adam.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable**

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><p><strong>Andre's POV<strong>

We were half a block away from Tori's house when I realized she left her bag in the car. Naturally, we turned the car around and drove back to her house. I hoped out of the car, bag in hand, and walked up the walkway to her house. I rang the doorbell. Nobody answered. I rang again. After a minute of waiting, I yelled, "Yo! Tori!"

No Answer. Well, that's weird. Trying the door, I found it unlocked. I cautiously took a step inside. Nobody on the first floor. I turned on the lights to find flower petals all over the floor. All along the path, there were several crushed flower petals, proving that somebody must have been there. Curious, I followed the trail of yellow flowers to the stairs. Walking up the stairs, I noticed a few spots where the person must have fallen. I chuckled to myself. I continued down the beige hallway, accidentally banging Tori's bag on a red table in the hall. The trail stopped at a closed door. My curiosity has always gotten the better of me, so I opened the door, screaming at what I saw.

"Tori!" I yelled. It was definitely Tori, but you could barely tell. Her skin was red and blotchy, and her eyes were swollen shut. Her arms were covered in giant hives, and her lips were almost blue. She looked like Violet Beauregard after she turned into a blueberry, but much less blue. Beck must have heard me scream, because he came in about a second later. I turned around, my frantic eyes meeting his confused ones. But he looked past me, and a second later his eyes became frantic too.

I turned around and yelled, "Call 911!" But it was unnecessary, as he was already on his pearphone. I knelt next to Tori and felt for her pulse. It was there, but it was very faint. Not knowing what else to do, I started pumping on her chest, performing hands-only CPR, because I didn't know the full version. The next few minutes were a blur; the situation felt unreal, like it wasn't really happening, and I was just watching a movie. I remember lights flashing, and someone in blue telling me to move away from Tori. I didn't, until someone – I think it was Beck – pulled me away. Tears clouded my vision as they wheeled Tori away. I remember someone telling me it would be okay, but I wasn't so sure. I raced to my cousin's car and hopped in the front seat. The keys were still in the ignition, so I didn't have to look like a total fool, waiting for my cousin to get there and give me the keys. Beck got in the passenger's side, and my cousin hopped in the back.

I was probably driving 15 or 20 miles over the speed limit, but I didn't care. All I cared about right then was Tori. She was the only thing on my mind, and my driving reflected that, I'm sure. I swung around corners, ran through red lights and stop signs, and almost killed a hobo, Beck throwing a sorry over his shoulder as we sped off. I'm pretty sure I knocked over some garbage cans, and I might have hit a possum. The lights of Los Angeles at night whipped past us as I pressed the gas pedal to the floor, trying to keep as close to the flashing lights in front of us as possible. I almost crashed the car numerous times, but, miraculously, we got to Los Angeles Children's Hospital in one piece.

We arrived only a few minutes after the ambulance, and I sped through the sliding glass doors to the reception area. A middle-aged nurse wearing blue scrubs was sitting at the front desk. She smiled, "How can I help you today, sir?"

"Tor… I need… find… her!" I gasped. Thoughts raced through my head as my tongue fumbled to string together a coherent sentence. How could the nurse be smiling at a time like this? How could anyone smile in a building where so many people died? Beck came sailing in behind me. "Excuse me," he tried to smile, but it turned out as a grimace. "My friend and I are looking for Tori Vega? She just came in?"

"Of course," the lady smiled again. "She's up on the 4th floor, in room D427. But-" I didn't stick around to here the ending of her sentence, but instead ran to the nearest elevator. I pressed the up button, and, thankfully, one of the elevators opened immediately. I hopped through the grey, steel doors, and they hadn't even completely opened when I started pressing the button to the 4th floor. The button lit up, but the doors weren't closing yet. I pressed the door close button about a million times before they finally closed.

Elevator music played, as I got lost in thought. Tori's life could be slipping away with each second passing by. I couldn't loose her. I had lost too many people so far. My grandpa died before I was born, my mom had died of cancer when I was 7, and, even though she wasn't dead, I had practically lost my grandma too. She was getting even more insane every day. A few days ago, she even called me by Grandpa's name. If I lost Tori, well I would lose my best friend. I know what that feels like. Jade and I used to be best friends. I made a bunch of mistakes, and now… now I think she hates me. But my favorite letter will for always be "J".

I was so lost in thought that it took we awhile to realize the doors were open. After I did, I jumped through the doors, and sprinted to the new reception area on this floor. I skidded to a halt in front of a nurse with a harsh glare and a forced smile. "Please, can you tell me where Tori Vega is?" I questioned.

"I'm sorry, she's not accepting visitors at this time," came her almost robotic reply. I tried again.

"What room is Tori Vega in," I spoke through gritted teeth. This time it wasn't really a question, more of a demand.

Again she answered with her automatic, "She isn't accepting visitors."

"Just tell me where she is!" I yelled this time. A few of the passing nurses shot me sympathetic glances, and some of the people waiting stared at me. Beck, who had just caught up with me, pulled me away from the plastic desk and to the waiting room.

"Dude, you need to chill!"

"Beck! Tori's in trouble! What would you do if Jade was in trouble? Oh wait- nothing! Because you were to fucking stupid to see that she needed you! But I know that Tori needs me, Beck! I – I need her!" I spat, breaking at the last part. I fell into one of the blue-green cushioned chairs and started sobbing. Beck, who had looked hurt before, quickly got over it, and awkwardly patted me on the shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Man. Just relax. I'm sure she's just sleeping or something," my cousin tried to comfort me.

"But what if she's already dead! What if they're just trying to figure out how to break the news to us? What if-"

"Andre! You need to stop thinking like that!" Beck shouted, in an almost Jade like fashion that reminded me of the old days, when she and I were best friends. But nothing could cheer me up now. Nothing except getting to see Tori alive and well. Nothing except getting to hear her laugh to see her smile. I don't mean to be cliché, but I would kill just to hear her voice again. It seemed like I hadn't seen her in years, even though it had been less than an hour. I stared, emotionless as the wall across from me, studying it like I would have an exam on it tomorrow. Smiling children and animals were painted on the wall in an attempt to cheer people up. There were four of the most uncomfortable chairs on the other side, and six on mine. In the middle, there was a black plastic table with magazines on it. My cousin picked up a _Sports Illustrated_ while Beck talked on his pearphone a few yards away. After a little while, he sat down next to me, crossed his legs, and started to play with a paperclip he found on the floor. Every so often, he would worriedly glance at me. Half an hour later, Cat got there. She sat on the other side of Beck, sitting criss-cross applesauce on the chair, absentmindedly playing with her hair and humming the tune of _Sesame Street._ Robbie was Rex-less when he arrived about fifteen minutes later. He got out his new pearpad and started playing with it.

It was now 3:48 am, and I was the only one awake. It was dead silent, and the not knowing was driving me crazy. Beck had fallen asleep besides me; his had propping up his chin. Robbie was lying across 3 seats, snoring, and Cat had fallen asleep on Beck's shoulder. My cousin had left thirty minutes ago, and besides my group of friends, the waiting room was now empty. Everyone was there. Everyone but Jade.

My eyes struggled to stay open. All of a sudden, I saw doctors and nurses rushing to one of the rooms down the hall. I head shouting, and after 5 minutes, they returned looking relieved. With a jolt, I realized that the person in that room had almost died. I ran to the nearest trashcan, and emptied my stomach into it. One of the nurses I had seen earlier saw me, and, after I was done, gently took me by the shoulders and directed me back to my seat. "Get some rest," she said, her voice oozing with kindness. She was wearing pink scrubs, and she had a permanent smile etched on her face. In her hair, I could see a few grey hairs, and her entire appearance gave a maternal essence. I relaxed, as much as I could in the waiting room, and she left.

She returned a short while later with some coffee in a Styrofoam cup. "Thank you, Nurse…" She silently pointed to her nametag, "Thank you Nurse Irene." Slowly, I sipped the coffee, letting it scorch the inside of my mouth. Less than 4 hours had passed since I had shared hot coco with Tori. I felt a pain in my chest, but continued to stare at the wall in front of me, my eyes drooping lower and lower.

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><p><strong>Hopefully I'll be able to update again soon. I had a science fair and a language arts project that I had to do, so I was pretty busy. But now I'm not!<strong>

**Until next time,**

**Building Castles**


	5. Chad's an Idiot

**So, I had a little trouble with the plot. Then, today I realized that I need this chapter before I could continue with what I wanted to do.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable.**

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><p><strong>Adam's POV<strong>

_This day couldn't get any worse. But, I was about to get revenge, so things were looking up. My buddy Chad had sent me a picture of Tori, almost dead on the floor of her bedroom. Now that was perfect. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a murder, Chad's just an idiot, but it was just what I needed. Chad was almost hyperventilating over the phone. God, he can be so annoying sometimes. I told Chad to lay low for a while. I'd get us out of this mess. I sat back. Still a few minutes to go before I got my revenge. I thought back on the night._

(Flashback)

I sat in the front seat of my black pickup, waiting for everyone to leave Jade's house. They had been in there for hours, and one had to wonder what they were doing. And it was probably a million degrees in this shity car. So, silently, I crept up to the side of the small bungalow and peered through the first window, right next to the door. But I saw nothing. Sweat was dripping down my forehead, into my eyes. I paused a moment, to wipe them, and I could have sworn I saw someone looking at me. But when I looked again, there was no sign of life what so ever. I crawled along through the blue hydrangea bushes growing next to the house. Occasionally, I would come across a tree, and I would have to risk being seen venturing out into the lawn. My black t-shirt stuck to my back in this humid weather and wriggling around on my stomach didn't help. I was exhausted. I almost gave up, but, finally, as I approached the last window, located in the back of the house, I heard voices wafting out a screen door. Coming closer, I heard my true love, who I now knew as Jade, was talking about two boys she had met at Nozu. I smiled. "She's talking about me!" I thought, and my heart leaped with joy. But it soon crashed and hit the ground, shattering. As she went on, she insulted me, called me names, and accused me of being a stalker!

But I knew he was no stalker. I'm just a loving, caring boyfriend. And Jade is mine. At the play, I had heard someone say that Beck and Jade used to be together, but I thought that Jade was over him. She was into me now, I was sure of it. But, as he peered into the room, I realized that Beck was corrupting Jade. Beck was making her think I'm an awful person, that I'm crazy, or a stalker. But I'm not. I'd have to make sure that they both knew that.

Later as they cleaned up, I was forced to watch Beck flirt with Jade. But the worst part was that she was flirting back. "That two timing bitch!"

I wanted to puke, but he couldn't. Not here, where I could be caught. I stalked back to my car and glowered at the house, plotting revenge.

My green pearphone buzzed in the passenger seat. A new message from Chad. Opening it, I found that Chad was getting ready with a huge romantic gesture that would make Tori swoon. At least Tori hadn't called him unrepeatable names. Jade was a cheater. But she would get what was coming to her.

I would make sure of that.

(Present time)

_Now, it was time for me to get revenge. All the lights in the house were off. I slinked up to the side of the house and found an open window._

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><p><strong>I know it was short, but oh well. I'll try to write longer chapters, but it really depends on where it should end. And that's where i thought it should end.<strong>

**~Building Castles**


	6. Butterflies and Broken Glass

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Jade's POV<strong>

By the time the front door slammed open, announcing my drunken mother's return, I was halfway through writing a sequel to _Clowns Don't Bounce._ It was 3:00 now, and I wasn't tired, even without sleeping a wink. You see, I had tried to get to sleep, but something kept nagging me to stay awake.

I stood up, making my way from my room to the front hallway, which just happened to be on the other side of the house. As I passed through the pitch-black living room, I noticed an open window, so, naturally, I stopped to close it.

That's when something hit my head. My legs gave underneath me, and I fell forwards, knocking the TV off its stand. _Shit._ I thought. _Somebody must have gotten in through the window. Or maybe they jimmied the front door. Mom is going to kill me… If this guy doesn't first._ Silently, I crept through the room towards where I assumed the hallway was. I stopped halfway when I saw a dark, shadowy figure creep towards the TV. _They must be checking to see if I'm unconscious. This is my chance!_ I picked up the nearest weapon, which happened to be a vase sitting on a side table. Charging forward, I brought the vase over my head and _Crack! _

The vase shattered on the looter's head, sending them sprawling to the ground. I could see a vague outline of them now and saw that it was a guy, but that was about it. He rolled over, and I leaped at him. He grunted and tried to throw me off of him, but I found a bit of the smashed vase and plunged it into his arm. He howled, and, just as I was about to plunge the glass into his arm again, the lights came up.

I could now see my attacker's face clearly. And it wasn't good. I looked up and saw who had turned on the lights. _My not-so-drunk mother._ And the man below me was, what a surprise, her date, Henry. And Mom looked pissed right now. Her face was bright red, which was a complete contrast to her black dress, but it was a perfect match to the lining of her coat. She looked like Cruella Devil right down to the messy hair. Of course, it was all one color, but it had been neat when she left the house. It was obvious she and Henry had had some "fun" before coming back to the house. I almost threw up.

"Jade!" she seethed.

"Mom." I was as nervous as a germaphobe who was about to be pushed into a pigsty.

"Get some clothes and get out. I don't care where you go, but I will _not, _I repeat _not_, have you attacking my date." I glared at her, but she returned the death stare. Breaking eye contact, I slowly got up and brushed myself off. There was blood all over the white wall-to-wall shag carpet, and quite a bit of it on my hands and clothes. Once back in my room, I packed the essentials in my gears of war bag; a few pairs of clothes; some toiletries; schoolbooks; my notebook and my pearbook. My mom appeared in the doorway.

"I'm taking Henry to the hospital. I want you out of here by the time I get back." It amazed me how cold her voice was. Her voice seemed lacked soul. She sounded meaner than a robot about to destroy the human race. I knew I could be cold, but this was my mother. The very woman who brought me into this world was now kicking me out of the house.

Sighing, I shut my eyes. This had to be the worst day ever. I stood up and glanced around my bedroom. There wasn't much I wanted to take with me. Perhaps some of the butterflies on the wall, but I could come back for them. I had a few treasures I wanted to keep though. Even so, I examined the butterflies mounted on the wall. One in particular caught my eye. It was rare, an Orchard Swallowtail. Its wings were yellow and blue, with black markings on the upper portion. I had caught this butterfly when I was 8; it was the beginning of my collection. Back then, Mom and Dad had still been together, and we were on a family vacation in Eastern Australia.

Suddenly, I was furious. I punched the glass containing the precious butterfly. It shattered around my fist, and blood spewed from the wounds. _Shit._ Carefully, I extracted the butterfly from the frame. I put it, and a few other treasures, in a wooden box with intricate carvings on the top, and I put the box in my bag. I laughed a cynical laugh. As a child, I had always marveled at how free butterflies were. And here they were cooped up in abox, just like me. But, I had broken this butterflies frame, and my metaphorical one.

_Well, little butterfly_. I thought._ Looks like it's just you and me._

I stood up, and left my room, my house, and this life without looking back. I had made my decision. I would leave. Forever. Or, so I thought.

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><p><strong>Well, that felt like it was short. But again, it felt right to end it there. And I know that I haven't updated in awhile, but people stopped responding to the story, and I got a little disheartened. But a few people recently added my story to their subscription list, and I promised myself I would finish this story, and so here's another chapter. So; please review this time? Pretty please? Oh, and Happy Mothers' Day!<strong>


	7. Doughnuts and More Bad News

**Diclaimer: I own nothing**

**Cat's POV**

I woke up in a place that wasn't my bedroom. Frowning, I surveyed the room. The events of last night came crashing back. But the doctors said Tori would be okay, so she would be, right? Doctors are supposed to know these things. They're doctors. But… they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I decided to ask one of the nurses if Tori was fine.

Slowly, I stood up and stretched. These chairs were unbearable. I sighed and cracked my neck as I walked to the blue reception desk. The lady behind the counter was asleep.

"Excuse me," I said, as politely as possible. She snored.

"Excuse me!" This time, I said it a little louder and poked her. Again, the nurse just snored.

"Excuse me!" By now, I was practically shouting in her ear, and I was jabbing her as hard as possible. This woke her up.

"What?" she snapped. She had one of those "what-do-you-want-you-ungrateful-little-brat" looks on her face. I shrunk away.

"Is Tori Vega awake?"

"No. And even if she was, you can't see her. Don't you see what time it is?" She pointed at the digital clock on the wall behind her. "It's 5:00 am. Visiting hours aren't until 9. Come back later."

Disappointed, I slinked back to my seat. I tried to fall asleep again, but after 15 minutes of tossing and turning, and an old lady shushing me, I decided to look for food.

Whenever my brother goes to the hospital for his "check up's," Jade and I always go to breakfast at a dinner called the Mayberry Cafe. They serve the worst coffee, according to Jade. Speaking of which, she wasn't at the hospital when I woke up… I wondered where she was, but decide that she had probably just gone to the bathroom or something.

I got in my car and drove to the Mayberry Café.

"How ya doin', Honey?" Julie Ann, the regular waitress, asked as I walked in the door of the 50's themed café.

"Not so good."

"Is it ya brother again?" Her thick New Jersey accent had always fascinated me before, but today I just wanted Tori to get better.

"No, but it is a friend."

"I'm sorry, Honey. What do ya want? Ya regular?"

"Yes, please." She went back to the kitchen as I took a seat on one of the stools at the counter.

A few minutes later, Julie Ann returned carrying a box full of a dozen doughnuts. She handed them to me. I reached for my money.

"No, Sweetie. It's on the house." She smiled, her warm hands cupping mine. "I can tell ya really upset about this one."

"Yeah. Thanks Julie Ann."

"Anytime, Caterina. But now I gotta attend to these other customers. You go back to ya friend, and make sure she's all right, okay?"

"Bye, Julie Ann.

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><p>When I got back to the waiting room, I noticed Beck and Andre talking about something they obviously didn't want anyone to hear. I ducked into another hallway and eavesdropped on them.<p>

"Do you think it was them who did it?" Beck asked.

"I dunno. All I know is that there were bush daisies all over her house. I'm surprised she made it to her bedroom."

"Well, do you think we should tell the others, anyway?"

"Maybe-not yet. It might not be them."

They were wrapping up their conversation, so I decided it was fine to be seen now. When I walked into the room, Beck and Andre turned to me.

"Hey Cat!" Beck said, but his face showed he felt guilty about something.

"Hey Lil' Red! Watcha got there?"

"Doughnuts. What were you guys talking about?"  
>"Hmm… oh, nothing, Lil' Red. Just guy stuff, you know cars and tools and stuff. Do you have chocolate doughnuts? They're my favorite!" He said, obviously trying to change the subject. I made a mental note to interrogate them about this later. I just played along.<p>

I set the doughnuts down on a table in the middle of the room. Beck and Andre dug in like wild animals, after explaining to me that they hadn't eaten a meal since lunch the day before. Robbie was still asleep, so I decided to wake him up. If he waited any longer, all the doughnuts would be gone.

Apparently, Robbie is a deep sleeper. I tried to shake him awake, but he just rolled over and swatted me away. Then, he hit me in the face. I smirked. This gave me free reign to do whatever I needed to do to wake him up. I got on the chair next to him and squatted by his ear.

"ROBBIE!" I shouted. He screamed like a girl and fell off his chair.

"Cat!" he whined. "You scared the bejeezus out of me!"  
>"I just thought you might want some doughnuts," I smiled, trying my best to not laugh. I failed, and burst out laughing, joining Beck and Andre, the latter of which had almost chocked on his chocolate-glazed cruller when I yelled at Robbie.<p>

Robbie mumbled something about beauty sleep and glucose, and then he said he'd have to go get some "special cereal" or something, and he left. Meanwhile, Beck and Andre finally managed to get their laughing under control.

"It wasn't that funny, you know," I stated.

"But it felt good to laugh," was all Andre said. Beck agreed.

I looked around, feeling like I was forgetting something. "Hey, have either of you seen Jade?"

"Not since last night." Beck replied.

"Me either. I hope she's okay."

Then Andre nudged me. He motioned to the TV screen that was playing on mute. Beck grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

_I'm Michelle Johnson from Channel 5 News. Behind me is the sight of the car that blew up on the freeway, causing major traffic jams. Police are unsure of the cause of the explosion. So far, there are 8 injured and at least one dead. There was not enough left for a facial reconstruction, but they were able to get the license plate. The number is as follows: C-7-9-R-6-6-6-J. If you have any information regarding the case, please call…_

The voice faded away as my world went numb. C79R666J. That was Jade's car that blew up.

Jade was dead.

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><p><strong>Well, this didn't feel very short or interesting, but it was mostly a filler chapter. (Except for the last bit) Anyway, please review!<strong>


	8. Once Upon a Storage Facility

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Jade's POV<strong>

I woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. The walls of the room I was in were made of metal, and the floor was cement. There was one lonely light bulb on the ceiling, but besides that, there wasn't much in the room; a chair, a table, and a chest of drawers. No windows, and the door appeared to be a small version of a garage door.

I had no idea what time it was, or where I was. I sat up, and all the blood rushed to my head. Gingerly, I brought my hand up to the top of my head. I winced when my hand touched it. There was what appeared to be a medium sized gash on my head.

"Shit," I muttered. I tried to figure out what had happened the night before. I couldn't remember much at first, but it soon came flooding back.

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><p>(Flashback)<p>

_I was furious. I had just been kicked out of the house I grew up in, and I decided to leave – for good._

_I opened the garage door and groaned. My mom took my car. I opened hers, but it was out of gas._

_Sighing, I started the long walk to the nearest bus station. I wasn't sure where I would go yet, but it would be far._

_I kept getting this strange sensation, like someone was following me. But, whenever I turned around, there was no one there. I shrugged it off as nerves._

_I was halfway to the bus stop when my phone beeped in my pocket. I stopped to check it when I heard a shuffling noise behind me. I whirled around, but it was to late. A guy wearing a grey hoodie that covered his face hit me over the head with a large wrench, and I crumpled, unconscious, to the ground._

(Flashback)

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><p>What a great night so far, huh?<p>

Taking a closer look at my surroundings, I found I was lying on a dirty mattress. My bag was next to me.

Slowly, I stood up and shuffled over to the door. I tried as hard as I could to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

I rummaged through my bag. Nothing was missing, except my phone. Cautiously, I took out my laptop. It appeared to be unharmed, so I booted it up. I was a little excited; if this worked, I could be out of here in under an hour. The welcome screen came up, and I quickly typed in my password and username. After about a minute, the desktop finally appeared.

I frowned. No Wi-Fi. But at least the clock still worked. It was 4:38 am.

Great. So now I knew what time it was. That's _so_ helpful. Get the sarcasm yet? Well, there had to be something in my bag that I could use to get out of here. I poured out the contents, but still, I found nothing helpful.

I tried to think, but it was hard to with the pounding in my head. Surely, I must be missing something. There had to be something I could use to escape. Anything I could use to pick the lock or something. I checked my hair for bobby pins, but of course, I had my hair pulled back into a ponytail and had no pins in it. I checked my pockets for a few stray pins, just in case, but instead, I found something much, much better. It seemed that whoever locked me in here; well they obviously didn't know me.

I pulled out my favorite pair of scissors. They had a black handle and titanium blades, with a design emblazoned into both the handle and the blades. Leaves twirled around and around, forming the words "_Light Lost in Dark, Dark Died in Light."_ It pained me to have to ruin these scissors, but desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

I limped over to the door again and jabbed the scissors into the lock. I shifted the side to side, until I heard a small snap. I tugged at the lock and it fell apart in my hands.

Thank god for that guy across the street, the one that went to prison. He was the one who taught me how to break cheap locks like this one.

As quietly as possible, I inched the garage door up about a foot and pushed my bag out. I followed my bag, and once I was safely out, the door slammed down. I winced at the sudden sound, as it had been as quiet as a graveyard only moments before. I was in what appeared to be a long hallway filled with garage doors. It was some sort of storage facility, though I didn't realize it at the time. Then, my brain wasn't thinking properly; I was only thinking of escape.

I heard voices shouting. "It came from over here," shouted a man and I ducked into the shadows. Silently, I slunk away, and was almost at the end of the corridor when one of the men who had come to investigate shouted, "You there! Stop!"

It occurred to me that if they caught up to me, they would probably arrest me or something. Panicking, I fled, turning right, then left, then right again, until, finally, I was thoroughly lost. Fortunately, the men appeared to have eaten one to many doughnuts, as many night watchmen do, and I lost them rather quickly. Now, my heart hammering, I stopped to rest and figure out how to get out of here.

I couldn't try and retrace my steps, because, even if I was able to, there were sure to be watchmen at the original container. My only choice was to walk to the end of the hall I was in, and hope that there was an exit.

I was in luck; I appeared in what I thought to be the back of the building. There was a door in the middle of the next grouping of containers, and a fluorescent **EXIT **sign lit up above it. Pasted on the door was one of those "Emergency Exit Only, Alarm Will Sound" signs, and I wavered in front of it. If I was caught now, I would be charged with breaking and entering, trespassing, and probably theft. Even though I wasn't guilty, who would believe a 16-year-old girl who had just been kicked out of her house. And who didn't know the name of the stalker, who was, I decided, looking guiltier and guiltier by the minute of kidnapping me. There was also the possibility that he would find me, and then I was probably as good as dead.

I made up my mind.

Taking a deep breath, I burst through the emergency doors, running as hard and as fast as I could across the parking lot away from the alarms behind me. I heard shouts, and more footsteps behind me, but, to my relief, they seemed to be headed towards the building, not away from it.

At the end of the parking lot, there was a chain-link fence. On the other side of the parking lot, there was a booth with a watchman sitting in it that warranted who got in and who got out… and who didn't. It seemed my only choice was to climb the fenced.

I hopped onto the fence and it swung back and forth dangerously. It clanked and clanged against the post, and generally made a racket.

Oh god! I thought. It seemed my luck had ran out as one of the night guards saw me, and started moving towards me.

"Shit. Shit. Shit!" I mumbled as I started climbing faster and attracting more attention. The guards who had previously been running towards the storage facility doubled back and started running towards me. I climbed faster than I ever had before, and soon I was at the top. I jumped over just as the first guard reached the fence.

I was safe. Or rather, I thought I was until the guard jumped onto the fence and started climbing himself. I began running again, and it seemed to take him considerably less time to get over the fence than it took me.

When he started running, I knew I was in trouble. This man wasn't slow like the other guards; he was fast. Extremely fast. Faster than me. He was gaining on me, and fast.

"Get back here you little shit!" He shouted as he ran. I ran into a commercial district in a seedy part of town, and he followed. I ran and ran, trying to lose him in the crowd, not that there was much of one at o'clock in the morning. Finally he caught me by the wrist and swung me around. He grinned a toothy, menacing grin. He was a man in his late 30's with a full head of black hair, though a considerable part of it was grey. He was in good shape for his age, shown by the fact that he ran faster than most men in their 20's could. And when he smiled, well, it was a smile that was not kind.

I panicked, because the evidence made me look extremely guilty. So I did the only thing I could think of doing at the time.

"Rape! Rape! Help! This man is trying to kidnap me!" There were construction workers around, who probably had families – and daughters – of their own, and they came running to my aid. The ripped the man off me and started beating him to a pulp. I noticed, in the midst of all this, a very familiar boy wearing a grey hoodie staring at me. A truck sped by on the street and he was gone, like he wasn't even there in the first place.

By the time the construction workers were done, I was long gone. I disappeared into the crowd that had gathered and slunk away. I ended up using a payphone in a bus station to try and call my mom. When she didn't pick up, I had no choice but to call Beck.

The phone rang, once, twice, three times, before going to voicemail. "Dammit Beck!" I shouted as I hung up the phone. I dialed again. This time, while it was ringing, I looked out into the now crowded bus station.

Outside the doors on the other side was the boy who was stalking me. I was now certain that he had kidnapped me. And I was, for the first time, afraid for my life.

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><p><strong>She lives! An I updated in a somewhat timely manner! Aren't you <em>so<em> proud of me? Anyway, please, read and review!**


	9. Terminal

**Sorry for the long time in between, but I had a lot of stuff to do. I took a summer school course for four hours a day, then had a two hour long soccer camp in extremely hot weather. (90 some degrees, but 10 degrees hotter on the turf.) So when I got home, I wouldn't feel like doing anything. Anyway, that's all over now, and I will try and update more quickly.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>I walked out into the crowded bus terminal, trying to look casual. Scanning the crowd, I realized my stalker actually hadn't found me yet. He was still looking for me at the other side of the room.<p>

The terminal was excellent for hiding out in. There were black benches in the middle of the room, and shops ran around the walls, with the exception of three areas that served as the entrance and exits. The walls and floor were made of concrete, and thick pillars lined the main area. There were several corridors leading down to the subways, and every few minutes, a bus or train would arrive, load up with people, and leave. So for all he knew, I could be gone.

I hoisted my bag up higher on my shoulder and backed as far away from him as I could, my eyes trained on him the entire time. He never looked in m direction. Once I was in the shadows of a pillar, I started making my plan of action. The closet store was called LA Souvenirs. I know, real creative right? But it gave me an idea. I sunk to the ground behind the pillar and rummaged through my bag, before finding my money. Pulling out a few twenties, I walked into the store.

Fluorescent lights it up the to-cheery store. There were paperweights, snow globes, and piles upon piles of candy stacked on the plastic shelves. But that wasn't what I was looking for. Towards the back of the store, there was a clothing section. There they sold stupid t-shirts and sweatshirts that read thing like "I heart LA" or "My parents went to LA and all I got was this stupid t-shirt." It was the sort of stuff that would make me want to rip out my eyes, if I was forced to wear it. But I needed to find something.

After a few minutes of searching, I found a grey and blue hoodie with "Dodgers" written across the front, a cheap pair of black sunglasses, and a black baseball hat that simply said LA. I went to the cash register and a cheery twenty-something, with a nametag that said Katie, rang me up. I shoved the money at her, and barely waited for her to give me the change. I would have put the clothing on right there, but I was getting some weird looks already, so I decided to forgo attracting any more attention.

I slunk to the girls' bathroom, sticking to the shadows and making sure my stalker couldn't see me. Opening the door, the powerful stench of urine mixed with an all-too sweet air freshener rushed out. I cringed, but dubiously entered anyway.

The bathroom was a typical one, the type you find in almost any airport, train station, or bus stop. Beige tiles went up the wall to about halfway, and the rest was painted a slightly lighter shade of beige. The stalls were blue plastic, and the locks didn't really work, but that didn't matter to me. I slipped on the hoodie, put the hat and sunglasses on, and then pulled up the hood. I tucked my hair into the sweatshirt and looked at myself in the mirror.

I didn't look like me. Which was a good thing. I put my gears of war bag into the gift shop bag and walked out of the bathroom confidently. Nobody gave me a second look as I casually strolled down to one of the train stations. I smirked. It was times like these that being an actress really paid off. I hopped a turnstile and boarded the first train that arrived.

The train was extremely crowded; I had made the mistake of getting on a commuter train. It brought me to central Los Angeles. The train emptied, and I left with the masses.

I wandered around for a bit before finding a Sky Bucks. If this isn't an excuse for coffee, I don't know what is. I ordered the largest size they had; after all, I hadn't slept all night. The barista called out my order, and I quickly grabbed my mug and took a large swig of the earthy beverage. It burned my mouth, but I honestly couldn't have cared less. I found a comfy seat and booted up my computer again. I logged into my email and sent one email to Beck, Tori, and Andre.

_Help. The guy from Nozu followed me. I evaded him, but I can't go home. Be careful._

_-Jade_

It wasn't long before I got a reply.

_Jade. What the hell! We thought you were dead. Tori's in the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. We still haven't been able to see her, but you should come here._

_-Beck_

_Why did you think I was dead?_

_-Jade_

_We saw your car blow up on the highway._

_-Beck_

"Shit," I swore. My mom was in my car. I took another sip of my coffee, and finished it. I had only been there for five minutes, and I was already leaving for the hospital. But I'd have to walk; I was almost out of money.

Half an hour later, I finally managed to reach the building. Exhausted, I walked through the sliding doors; all the adrenaline from my night had worn off. My legs felt like jelly, my mouth was dry, and everything was dizzy. Black dots clouded my vision. I blinked, trying to get rid of them, but they persisted. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. I blinked again and collapsed to the floor.

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><p><strong>Wadda ya' think? Huh? Huh? Review, please? I know it was pretty short, but I just wanted to get something out; I was kinda stuck for awhile. But, please check out my other story, "The Immersion Project." (Pretty please with a cherry on top?)<strong>


	10. She Can't Be Dead

**Ha-ha! Another chapter! And it was only, like, a week or something!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Beck's POV<strong>

My heart was racing as I went numb. I felt as if I was underwater; everything was going in slow motion and seemed to be blurred around the edges. Voices and noises all garbled into one gigantic cacophony of sound, only a few actually making it to my ears, but most making no sense what so ever.

Sirens and bright lights wafted in from a nearby window, the early morning light seeming all too bright for such a treacherous time, and the white, bright, florescent light shining down from above seemed almost cruel.

Jade was dead… No… She couldn't be. I just saw her a few hours ago. She can't be dead. She cannot be dead.

I repeated this over and over in my head: it becoming almost a mantra. The tears I was trying so hard to conceal leaked out over my eyelids and ran down my face, blurring my vision even more. Two petite arms wrapped around my waist, the redhead they belonged to sobbing into my chest.

I held her close; I couldn't let another one of my friends get hurt. This was my fault; I should have known that the two stalkers would strike again. As I squeezed her shoulder, one noise in particular caught my attention. Turning away from Cat, I blinked away the tears from my eyes, my sight improving a little more.

Andre was sitting in his chair, hunched forward with his elbows on his knees, and his head leaning against clasped hands. He was murmuring words I couldn't understand, except the occasional, "oh, Lord," "Hail Mary, full of grace," and "please God."

I wasn't religious, and I knew Andre wasn't that religious either. But I knew that every Saturday, he woke up early, put on nice clothes, and gathered with his entire family, including his grandma, at The Second Baptist Church of Los Angeles. So it didn't entirely surprise me that he was praying; if I knew any prayers, I'd probably be praying right now too.

Behind me, Cat's sobs turned into hiccups as she collapsed to the linoleum floor, leaning back against her chair. I wiped my eyes furiously before taking a seat next to her and enveloping her in a hug. I'd messed it up with Jade and Tori, but I wouldn't mess it up with Cat. I tried to calm her down, but whenever she got close, hers sobs would return, and we would be back at step one. Everyone in the waiting room would look at us with sympathetic eyes, assuming that the crying was for our friend in the hospital.

"Ssh, Cat. It's going to be okay," I murmured. Big mistake. Cat pushed me away from her and was on her feet before I even knew what was happening. Her tiny body shook with fury as her brown eyes pierced through me, glaring straight at my soul.

"How could you say that, Beck?" Her voice was dangerously low, and now everyone, doctors, nurses, patients and their family, were staring at us. "Jade is dead, Tori almost died, and you're telling me everything's going to be okay. But it's not!" She escalated into a shout and started beating me on the chest, sobs wracking her body.

I just closed my eyes and took the beating. If it made Cat feel better, it was worth it.

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><p><strong>Robbie's POV<strong>

I drove home and back as quickly as possible, not wanting to miss anything. I hopped out of my mom's red 2008 Toyota Prius and flew into the kitchen, grabbing my special glucose-free cereal, "Frootie O's," changed into a new shirt and pants, and ran back to the car. I shoved my keys into the ignition and the engine rumble to life. And then it died.

"Oh, jiminy!" I yelled, getting out of the car and kicking one of the wheels. I stepped back into the car, a little bit calmer, and tried again. Finally, on my fourth try, the car started. I sighed in relief and sped off towards the hospital, breaking at least 10 driving rules on my way.

When I rounded the corner and entered the waiting room, I was faced with a depressing sight. Andre was sitting in his chair, his leg jittering, praying. Beyond him, I could see Beck hugging Cat, who was crying her heart out, tears staining Beck's shirt.

My heart broke and I dropped my cereal to run to her side.

"Cat! Cat! What's wrong?" She tried to speak, but no words formed. Beck looked up at me, his eyes portraying his every emotion. I couldn't stand to see Beck so depressed; he was usually so happy. Seeing him like this would depress anyone.

"Tori didn't die or anything, right?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood, but looking at their reactions, it was not an appropriate thing to say..

Beck looked down, a grim smile on his face as he shook his head. "Not Tori, Rob. Jade."

I froze. Jade was one of those people who you never expect anything to happen to. She was so headstrong that you expected her to scare off death. Out of everyone in my group of friends, I would have thought she would be the last to die.

"But she can't be dead!" I shouted. Cat stood up, her sobs subsiding.

"Robbie," her voice was raspy from crying for so long, "It's true."

"I-I" now it was my turn to be speechless. Cat hugged me around the waist and I returned the hug, resting my chin on the top of her head. We just stood like that for what seemed to be hours.

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><p><strong>Beck's POV<strong>

After Robbie returned, Cat seemed to calm down. Maybe knowing that all her friends were inside the same building helped. I sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the room from everyone else. I turned on my pearphone, hoping for a distraction when I saw that I head an email from Jade.

Curious, I opened it. She was alive! My heart soared, and I let out a dry laugh. Everyone turned to me, and Cat glared at me. I shook my head. "She's alive!"

They rushed to me, each taking a turn reading the message on the screen. I picked up Cat and spun her around, Andre and Robbie laughing wryly. I sent a reply, and the waiting room went back to its previous mood.

When Jade didn't show up in 20 minutes, I went looking for her. Perhaps she was just lost. I arrived down in the Emergency Room just in time to see a girl enter and collapse. Doctors and nurses rushed to her side. They took off the girl's hat, sunglasses, and hood, but I didn't have a clear view. I shook it off and kept on searching, checking the chairs. But when a couple of doctors moved, I saw the girl's face.

"Jade!" I yelled, sprinting across the room towards her.

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><p><strong>What did you think? Read and Review! And why don't you check out my other story while you're at it? (Yes, I'm shamelessly advertising it here, but if not here, where?) Now I have a question for you guys. I have a trailer for both of my stories. Should I upload them?<strong>

**-Building Castles**


	11. Scaring Nurses can be Good

**What's up? It's been awhile, hasn't it? I've had this written for awhile, but I wanted to finish the story before I published it. It's almost done, roughly two chapters left, but I decided to update anyway.**

**Disclaimer: No. Just, no.**

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><p><strong>Beck's POV<strong>

The doctors pushed me aside. "Get out of the fucking way!" one of them shouted, while nurses starting poking Jade with various metal medical instruments. They quickly set her on a gurney and I caught a glimpse of the back of her head. Her hair was caked with dried blood, and a nasty looking gash could clearly be seen underneath. A doctor pulled out a flashlight and shined it in Jade's eyes, but all I could see was the gash as they pushed her through a set of doors at the back of the room.

When I moved to go after them, a small nurse stepped in the way. She wore light green scrubs, her brown hair pulled into a tight and high ponytail. "I'm sorry sir, you can't go back there."

I ignored her and kept walking.

"Sir!" This time she yelled it, pulling me out of my haze and back to the real world, where things were a hell of a lot scarier. For the first time, I noticed the other people in the Emergency Room. Some looked the picture of health, but others could barely walk. In the corner, a baby hacked into a potted plant over their mother's shoulder; the girl next to them discreetly shied away, her arm clearly in need of stitches. A little boy sat with his parents on the other side of the room, all of them as scared as a two-year-old that just watched _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ from the top of the stairs. The boy stared straight ahead in shock, but my eyes were immediately drawn to the pen sticking out of his knee. Various people around the room sobbed, because of both pain and loved ones' unknown fates.

Turning away from this gruesome picture, I begged the nurse in a jumble of words that came out of my mouth like a flood through a dike. "Please! Jade'sdeadbutshe'snotandIneedtoseeher-Tori'shurtto obutIneedtoseeJadeandIwish-butI-pleaseyouhavetohel pme'causeifyoudon'tIdon'tknowwhatwill happenandIneedtoseeJade!"

The nurse blinked a few times. "First of all, who are you?"

"I-I'm Beck," I whispered hoarsely, barely able to get the words out.

She nodded and spoke slowly, like you would to a child. "Okay Beck. My name is Tiffany. I know you want to see your friend-"

"Jade!" I cut her off, "her name is Jade." I finished weakly.

"I know you want to see _Jade_," she empashized her name, "but you need to wait until we have her all sorted out."

"But you don't know who she is! You didn't even know her name until a minute ago! I need to see her!" I shouted furiously. The nurse took a few steps back, frightened by my explosion. By this time, all eyes were on us, and a security guard made his way towards us. He was just a few yards away when a warm hand touched my shoulder and spun me around. Tori's mother smiled at me.

"Beck! Here to see Tori?"

"Um… Yeah?"

She turned to the security guard and the stunned nurse. "It's okay. I got it. I'll take him."

The guard, whose nametag read Brogan, screamed, "Who the hell are you to tell me what to do! This bastard is a menace to society! He practically attacked this nurse and obviously has some mental defect. He's staying here where I can keep an eye on him until we lock him up in the loonie bin!" His face turned a deep red as he screamed.

Tori's mom frowned and said "I think you're scaring everyone in here. Perhaps _you_ should make an appointment in the _mental ward_ instead of threatening this young man."

He opened his mouth to start yelling again, but Tori's mom reached into her bag and pulled out a hospital badge. Brogan scanned it. "But-but… I apologize Mrs. Vega. Please, forgive me."

She smiled a strained smile and guided me towards the doors Jade had gone through a mere two minutes earlier. A quick glance over my shoulder, and I saw the security guard glaring at me, and a nurse behind the reception desk stifling a laugh.

As we passed through the double doors, I whispered to Mrs. Vega, "What was that? How did you get that guard to stop yelling?"

She whispered back in a somewhat cheeky tone, "I'm on the board of directors."

I was still a little puzzled, but I decided to cut my losses and move on. "So… Tori. I haven't been to see her, but she's supposed to be doing okay. And-"

"I know you're not going to see Tori." She interrupted me. "Judging by what I heard, I assume you're going after Jade, who, and I'm making another assumption here, is also hurt."

I scratched the back of my head, "Yeah. But, uh, I don't know where she went. They wouldn't let me through before." She nodded and walked to a desk. After a few moments of talking, she motioned for me to follow her. She led me through the twists and turns of the once-white corridors to a waiting room.

This waiting room was much smaller than the one I had spent the night in. There was a worn couch on one side, a coffee table with a few magazines spread across it in front of it. There was a tacky blue counter, the kind you find in 7-11s or in teachers lounges, in one corner of the room. It had a sink and a coffee machine. A few Styrofoam cups sat beside the coffee machine. It was completely deserted.

"When Jade is stabilized, a doctor will come get you," Tori's mom said before turning to briskly walk away. She was almost out of sight when I called "Wait! Mrs. Vega…Thanks."

"You're welcome Beck. Just be careful. It seems like someone is out to get you and your friends," she chuckled, having no idea that it might very well be the case.

I sighed and sat down for what I suspected to be a very, very long wait.

I was woken by a loud, ringing phone. Annoyed, I searched the room for whose it was before realizing I was alone and that the phone ringing was mine. Groaning, I pulled it out and answered it. "What?" I snapped.

Andre's familiar voice replied "Well, good morning to you too."

"What the hell do you want?"

"What I want to know is where you are? You disappeared man. You went to find Jade and never came back. And it sounds like you just woke up. Did ya find her or what?"

I sighed. "I found her. I saw Jade for like 3 seconds, and then she collapsed. I'm waiting for an update right now."

"Shit! Where are you?" Man, do you think those guys are attacking them?"

"I dunno. But I swear to god that if they are I-" An old doctor walked through the doors across from me. He started towards me, and I stood up. "Hang on man. Doctor's here. Call you back."

"Beck, right?" the doctor asked. I nodded. "I'm Dr. Roberts, one of Jade's doctors."

"Is-is she alright?"

"She's going to be fine. She has a severe concussion caused by blunt force trauma to the head."

"Can I see her now?"

"In a little while. First, we need to contact her parents, and they need to authorize you to see her."

"You're fucking kidding me! I sat here for hours waiting for her, and now I can't even see her!"

"Relax son. It shouldn't be long."

"Um… Well, her parents are divorced, and her dad's outta town."

"Yes. We know that they're divorced. It's all in her file."

A moment of awkward silence passed before I nodded and sat down again.

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><p><strong>Review, my pretties! *cue evil cackle* And since I already have the next chapter written, it won't be too long, I promise!<strong>


	12. Hospital Hero

**I was really impatient. I just couldn't wait to upload this. I almost updated early, but didn't, so... But I will update on Friday! FUN!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Jade's POV<strong>

I woke up in a strange room, again, and I panicked. I sat up slowly, my hand instantly rushing to my head as a piercing pain ripped through my skull, tearing every thought from my body. Too make matters worse I couldn't see much. Everything was a blur. It was like looking at the world through your almost-blind friend's glasses. Still, I was determined. I threw my legs over the side of the bed, and I gingerly took a step. The room started spinning and I fell to the ground. I hit a metal tray on my way down and it fell with me. The clattering noise was deafening, and the door to the room slammed an instant later, making my head 10 time worse.

Someone lifted me up off the floor. I started swinging, though they weren't very accurate; I think I landed one punch before a few more people rushed into the room.

They grabbed my arms and subdued me. I blinked a couple of times, and finally, I could see again. Now, with a groan, I realized where I was.

A furious looking doctor glared up at me from the floor, clutching his nose. His white lab coat was now covered in blood; it must have been a hell of a hit. He was probably in his 50's with a rather large gut and a balding head. A couple more nurses rushed to the scene, giggling when they saw the scene before them; a teenaged girl had taken out a middle-aged male doctor. Obviously, this doctor had no respect from the nurses. From the way a few of them took out their phones and discreetly took pictures, it was obvious that they hated him.

The nurses holding my arms led me to my bed. One of them whispered in my ear, "Good job. He deserved it." I smirked a bit at this, which only infuriated the doctor more. He stood up from the ground, brushed himself off and walked towards me; trying to hold onto what dignity he had left.

As he got closer, I read the name on his coat. Stewarts. Dr. Stewarts. He stopped walking a few feet from me and crossed his arms. "What the hell did you do that for? What kind of scum are you? I bet you're in some gang; that's why you were trying to escape. Probably where you got that head injury too," he seethed. The nurses looked appalled. He wasn't doing himself any favors by insulting his patient.

"Fuck off," I spat.

"What were you doing?" he commanded in a snobbish tone.

"I woke up in a strange room. I freaked and tried to leave. There. Are you happy now?"

"Dr. Stewarts, you are the one who left her in the room, unconscious. I think this is your fault," one of the nurses, the same one who had whispered to me earlier, said. She got murmurs of agreement from around the room. He realized he was getting glares from, well, everyone. Stewarts put his hands up and stepped out of the room.

The room cleared quickly, now that the spectacle was over. Only two nurses stayed behind, one of them the nurse who had stuck up for me, the other one I had never seen before.

They stayed for a while, making a huge fuss over whether I was comfortable or not, offering me extra pillows and Jell-O. Apparently, they _really_ hated Dr. Stewarts, and now, I was some sort of hero with the hospital staff.

Finally, I got the familiar nurse, who I now knew as Irene, and the other nurse, Alex, to leave. They talked too much over stupid things like who was sleeping with who and whose grandmother died: the usual gossip… well, except for the grandmother thing. That was weird. And creepy. I mean, seriously, what kind of freak cares about other people's dead grandmas? I didn't.

They were just about to leave when Alex remembered that they hadn't even told me what was wrong with me yet.

"Listen, sweetie," Irene started.

"Don't call me sweetie," I snarled.

"Okay, hon. Here's what happened. You hit your head, hard. You probably just fell or something." I tried to interrupt her, tell her that I was attacked, but she just kept talking. "We gave you some stitches, so don't pick at them. And you got a severe concussion, so whatever you do, don't fall asleep. Got it? Good." She turned to Alex "Let's go get some pudding." They left before I could even tell them about the attack.

I looked around for something to do and found my bag next to the bed. There should be something entertaining in it; after all, just hours earlier, I had stuffed my most precious belongings inside it. Slowly, I bent over and picked it up, my stiff arms groaning in protest. I zipped it open, and my heart sunk. Now, looking at the contents in the light, I could see the extensive damage the past hours had delivered. I let out a string of swears that even the toughest sailor would have cringed at.

Something inside the bag had spilled, so all the papers, of which there were many, were damaged and soggy, some even ripped apart. My laptop and several picture frames had been smashed, and there was so much broken glass I was surprised I hadn't cut myself earlier.

I sighed, my eyes feeling heavier than ever. My life, my work, everything important had been destroyed in just a few short hours. Dramatic as it seems, it was mostly true. And right now, I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, but I didn't really feel like dying. Not after everything I had gone through last night. So, instead, I started the lengthy process of sorting through the stuff.

Less than fifteen minutes later, my mom walked through the door, wearing completely different clothes than the last time I had seen her. I frowned. My house was pretty far away from the hospital, it shouldn't have been that short of a distance. Even if she had been at the hospital with _Henry_, she would have had to go home to change.

She looked weary, like the last several hours had been hard on her. Even without makeup, my mom had always looked younger than her age. But now, she looked positively ancient.

Her hair, normally done up in some fancy way, was pulled back into a sloppy bun. Her clothes were a pair of old sweats, clothes I hadn't seen her wear in a long time; not since she and dad were still married. And her expression was sorrowful instead of the usual cold and harsh glares she directed at me.

She hesitated at the door, looking unsure, before slowly moving to sit at the foot of my bed. She smiled a weak smile at me. "Hey," she spoke softly.

"Hey," I responded, wary of her unusual behavior. An awkward moment of silence passed between us. "How'd you get here so fast?"

"Your brother's arm is broken." My eyebrows shot up, surprised, confused, and suspicious. "As it turns out, Henry is… well, he's wanted for burglary, assault, and a mess of other things. When I tried to take him to the hospital, he realized he'd be arrested, so he made me pull over to the side of the road. He pulled your brother out of the car and threw him, breaking his arm. Then he got in the car and drove away. I guess you were right to be suspicious of him."

"Wow. Buncha shit's happened in the past couple of hours, hasn't it?"

"It looks like it has." She was silent for a few seconds, but continued, "I'm sorry he took your car. And, um, it sort of blew up."

I laughed. "Yeah, I know." She took this as a good sign and smiled.

We talked about random crap for a few minutes, but neither of us really knew what to say. Years of avoiding each other were finally taking their toll. A male nurse opened the door. "I'm sorry miss, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave for a few minutes. We need you to fill out some paperwork and stuff," he said gruffly.

"Of course," my mom politely stated, and left the room, looking a little bit relieved. The nurse moved closer to my bed. I finally got a good look at him and froze. He looked familiar. Way too familiar. A hand clamped down over my mouth as I opened it to scream.

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><p><strong>So? What'd you think? Instead of just thinking it, say it aloud to the screen! No. Don't do that. You'll look insane. Instead, leave a review!<strong>


	13. New Plans

**This is one of my favorite chapters. Also, one of the longest! Over 2,500 words! It's like a word present! Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and maybe...possibly...review? **

**FYI: I shalt be updating on Sunday.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Adam's POV<strong>

I thought Jade would get into her car and blow up, effectively exacting my revenge, but my new plan was even better. After bludgeoning her over the head, I had taken her to my dad's storage locker. It had been practically empty for years, just some old, moldy furniture. I was planning on staying the night, waiting on her to wake up, but my fucking mom called me after finally noticing I was missing. Before leaving, I had searched her bag and found her phone. I left her laptop; there was no wifi here. She could listen to music or something. I took out the phone's battery and broke the sim card, then threw it in a garbage can outside the train station nearby.

When I got home, my mom lectured me on my curfew or some shit. She's a fucking hypocrite. The entire time she was talking, I could smell the alcohol on her breath. Besides, it had taken her five days to realize I wasn't at home. She was an even bigger idiot than Chad, had been ever since dad left. Finally, she finished.

"Can I go now?" I asked, turning to leave. I was halfway to the door to my room when she called out.

"Wait, Adam, sweetie, did you remember to take you meds?"

I rolled my eyes and grit my teeth. I only paused for a minute, long enough to say, "Of course I did, _mom_." But, of course, I was lying. And, _of course_, she couldn't tell. I kept walking, but, only a few second later, she spoke again.

"Chad's parents called." My fists clenched, slightly. She continued, "They want to know if you've seen him. They're worried. Said that he left his medication at home. Blamed _you_ for 'corrupting' their son. I told them that you're a good boy; never forget your meds. That it was _Chad_ getting _you_ into trouble." She sighed. "I honestly wish you two never met at group therapy. But Adam, you haven't seen him, have you?" Stupid bitch was practically begging by the end. My face morphed into my carefully constructed mask. A cruel, condescending smile slipped onto my face. I turned around, the essence of innocence.

"No. I haven't seen him in weeks." She smiled, relieved.

"Good. I'll see you later then, Adam." I turned around again. I ambled cockily down the stairs to the basement and down the cream hallway to my room. My eyes narrowed as I found the brown, hand-drawn-sign that covered door slightly ajar. I always kept my door closed and locked. I whipped my head to the side, but my mom was probably in the kitchen, pouring herself another drink. Slowly, I reached out to touch the brass doorknob. I swung the door open.

Unlike most teenaged boys' rooms, clothes didn't cover my floor, but a few books fell close to my bed. One of the walls was stone, and exposed pipes and wires ran across the ceiling. The other three walls were painted white, but water had dripped down one of untouched walls, leaving rusty colored stains. Every piece of furniture in room was also white.

My bed was tucked into the corner, with white covers. It was next to a small dresser that doubled as my bedside table. A shade-less lamp rested on top of the dresser beside an alarm clock. My bookshelf and my desk were on the other side of the room. The shelves of the bookshelf sagged under the weight of my hundreds of books, but my favorite books, biographies of Ted Bundy, a few books on psychology experiments tested on people before they were made illegal, _Devil in the White City_, and several others, were stacked next to my desk. My desk was completely clear, every pencil in a cup in the top right corner of the desk and papers stacked just to the left of it. A mesh wastebasket lay empty underneath, completely empty of trash. My laptop was on top of the desk.

I liked my room. I liked its position; I got my own bathroom, well, the whole floor was practically mine. The only other rooms were the room that housed the furnace and boiler and the small landing by the stairs that I used as a living room. I had placed a chair and a crappy black and white TV there; that was all that there was room for. And because the floor was mine, I could do what I wanted when I wanted. And when the door at the top of the stairs was closed, you couldn't hear what was going on down here. I had moved down here three years ago, and my little brother stopped coming down when he realized mom couldn't hear him screaming when I beat him up.

The basement was a white, emotionless void. The only personal things on the floor were my books; there were no pictures or posters anywhere. Everything was replaceable. Everything was neat, looking like it was out of a magazine. The only thing that showed who I was, what I was, was my book collection. The books had been placed disorderly; there was no pattern, no reason for its organization. But though everyone else saw it as disorderly and chaotic, it was an orderly disorder. It made sense to me, and I knew where every book was supposed to go. And the order had been messed up.

I searched everything in the room and thanked the gods that I had password protected my computer. It ensured that my mom didn't see some rather _interesting_ pictures of Jade and Tori. But whatever my mom had been looking for wasn't here. I let out a relaxed sigh and sat down on my bed. I napped for a few hours, but I awoke in a panic after my usual nightmare.

It wasn't so much a nightmare as a memory. A memory from my childhood that was quite unpleasant. A memory that included my father, screaming, and pain. But the pain and the screams weren't mine. They were his, as a seven-year-old me electrocuted him. That was the day before I was admitted to the "hospital." That was when the real nightmare had begun.

I woke up screaming. My eyes glazed over. I couldn't control myself -and didn't really want to- as I destroyed my room. I pulled the drawers from my dresser, emptying the clothes onto the floor and throwing the drawers into the walls. They splintered and broke. I hit the lamp and the alarm clock across the room, tore the books from there covers, many page from page, throwing everything on the floor. I overturned my desk but picked up a sharpie from the floor. In my delerium, I walked over to the bookshelf and threw it down too. Behind it was the one part of the wall that was different. That was the reason I had covered it. In this world, as I had painfully learned, it was a sin to be different.

For a moment, I stared at the wall admiring my work. In a rectangle that was perfectly covered by my bookshelf were the two most glorious words in the world written over and over again. I smirked and took the sharpie's cap off, frantically continuing my work.

When I was finished, I was breathing heavily. I sunk to my knees and ran a hand through my hair. I just sat like that for about fifteen minutes. Then, I picked up a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt from the floor. Calmly, I changed into them, then picked up a grey hoodie from the ground and slipped over my head. I walked into my bathroom and turned on the sink. I cupped my hands underneath the faucet and let the water run through my fingers for a few minutes. Then, I ran my fingers through my hair again, smoothing it back. I stared at my reflection in the mirror for a few more moments and examined my appearance, the bags under my eyes, everything. I couldn't help but laugh; I was almost as pathetic as my mother.

I slipped up the stairs and out of the house, listening to her wailing and begging into the phone for dad to come home. Later I remembered and cursed that, in my haste, I forgot to lock my bedroom door, but it was too late to go back.

I walked to the nearest train station and flashed my pass at the turnstile. I got there just in time for my train and boarded it quickly. I was settling in for the short ride to the storage container to check on my Jade. I'd move her to the abandoned house Chad and I had rented, with cash of course, and had been staying in for the past five days. Then I'd go to the hospital and help Chad get Tori. It was perfect.

And then my phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket. "Hello?" I said in my most pleasant voice.

"Mr. Brunswick?" I smirked. The storage facility thought I was my dad. I really was an excellent liar.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, but a girl broke into your storage unit." My smirk fell from my face.

"What?" I roared.

"I-I'm sorry sir We don't believe she took anything but –"  
>I cut him off. "What did she look like?"<p>

"Goth chick. We tried to chase after her, but she was, well, she's very crafty. She outwitted us."

I snarled into the phone, "Well, it probably wasn't that hard. I bet you don't even have a high school diploma. I bet-"

This time he interrupted me, "I'm very sorry sir. We are about to call the police and they'll start a full scale investigation."

"NO!" I bit, before realizing how suspicious it sounded. The train pulled into the station near the storage facility and I dismounted while responding, "I mean, there's no need. You said it was just a girl right? I don't want to ruin her life or anything. Besides, there wasn't anything valuable in there. You don't have to call the cops."

"I know sir, but-"

"No buts. There will be no police report, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," he meekly responded. I smirked again as I hung up. One problem was solved. But now, I had to find Jade. I walked out of the terminal. Outside, I heard a girl shouting rape and several construction workers running across the street. Curious, I walked closer. A crowd had gathered, but as I drew a few feet closer, I saw that the man was wearing uniform from the storage facility. The construction workers ripped him off the girl, and she moved to the far side of the crowd. She turned around, and I saw that the girl was Jade. She saw me, and her eyes widened in recognition. Then, the crowd engulfed her, and I lost her again.

But I had studied Jade over the past week, and I knew she was smart. I knew what her next move would be.

So, I returned to the terminal. It was the only logical move. I scanned the crowd for her, but I didn't see her. I sort of regretted not leaving her phone. If I had, I could have tracked it. I searched and searched, but I never found her. I cursed. She must not have seen the station and kept going outside.

I searched for a good half-hour when I got a call from Chad.

"Chad, what's up man?"  
>"Adam! What the fuck did you do? You said we wouldn't hurt them."<p>

"Jesus Chad, call down. And remind me again, who hurt Tori? 'Cause it wasn't me."

"Shit, Adam. This is bad. She just walked into the ER and collapsed. If I weren't here, we wouldn't know she was here, and then she would turn us in. She still might! Just tell me what the fuck happened!"

"Chad. I have no fucking idea what the hell you're talking about. We knew Tori was in the hospital."

"Not Tori. Jade."

I started. "Jade! Dammit, I lost her like a half hour ago. She escaped. I have no idea how, but she did. Chad, just… just wait for me to get there. We'll get them both."

"Fine, but Adam: hurry."

He hung up, and I hailed a cab.

"Chad, man, you ready?" I asked as I looked the scrubs we had acquired from the supply closet.

"Yeah, sure. Let's just get this over with. Who first?"

"Let's split up. It'll be easier. I'll get Jade. We'll meet in the back by the loading bay." I said as we each took a wheelchair from the closet.

"Fine, but, uh, we don't really know where they are."  
>"Leave that to me."<p>

I walked out of the closet and to the nearest nurses' station. There was one other, not very young and not very attractive nurse there. I smiled. This was going to be easy. I slid in the seat next to her. I turned on the computer, waited and shot my best smile at her. She shot a small one back over her pudding cup.

The logon screen came on, and I attempted to logon. I tried five times, before turning to her for help.

"Um, excuse me _Irene_, but I'm new here, and I'm having a little trouble." She smiled at me and used her chair to bump me out of the way. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, typing in her password and username.

"Here you go, _Zach_." She said, believing that I was the real Nurse Zach. She winked at me. Inwardly, I cringed, but I sucked it up and smiled back at her.

"I don't know how I can thank you."

"There's no need." Her pager beeped. "I gotta go, but hopefully, I'll see you later." She winked and then left me alone at the station, and my grin grew even bigger. I take back everything I said about my mom and Chad; Irene is the biggest dumbass I have ever met. Quickly, I found a list of patients and searched for Victoria Vega and Jade West. Their room numbers came up, and I wrote them down. Just for kicks, I decided to search a few things on Irene's account. Like the best ways to put patients out of their misery and the best forms of poison.

I heard someone coming, so I left the computer open and casually walked to the storage closet. I gave Chad Tori's room number, and we left our separate ways.

It was easy to get Jade's mom out of the room. Even better was the fact that it took Jade a minute to recognize me. A minute that allowed me to get right next to her bed. She opened her mouth to scream, and I clamped my hand down over her mouth. She scratched me, but my hand remained firmly over her head as I moved my hand to my back pocket to get needle full of tranquilizers I had stolen earlier. Then, she bit me. My hand jerked away from her mouth, and it took everything I had not to scream. Quickly, I grabbed her by the hair and hit her head against the back of the bed. Over and over again I smashed her head, and, surprisingly, I felt nothing for the girl. Two whacks later, I felt her go limp in my hands, but I kept going in a similar to daze to the one earlier. After ten hits, I stopped. I realized what I had done, and my hand flew to my mouth. Her head and the once white pillow beneath it were covered in blood.

I bent down next to her, and my trembling hand reached out to stroke her hair. "I'm sorry Jade, I'm so, so sorry." I whispered in her ear. "Please forgive me."

I stayed like that for a few minutes; tears streaming down my cheeks. Then I sobered and straightened up. Gingerly, I wiped Jade's blood on her sheets. I picked her up and placed her in the wheelchair. Then, I just wheeled her out of the room and into the elevator.

No one even glanced at me twice.

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><p><strong>Adam's creepy, isn't he? I'm pretty sure I used (almost) every single swearword in this chapter. That's cause I'm a potty mouth. But, on a tangent, what did Adam write? You'll never find out! Or maybe you'll find out soon. Who knows! Stay tuned!<strong>

**Read and Review, my lovelies. See ya Sunday!**


	14. Gone

**Here's the next chapter. It's kinda short but also not really. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Beck's POV<strong>

The waiting room filled up quickly, but it wasn't too long before I saw Jade's mom. She looked tired, like she hadn't slept in weeks. I know I must look like crap, with crumpled and disheveled clothes and red rings around my eyes, but she looked just so much worse.

I stood up too quickly, and the blood rushed to my head. I braced myself on the wall then turned to look at her.

"Ms. West!" I called. She stared at me blankly for a moment, the fatigue destroying her memory.

"Oh. Ah, Ben. No – Beck, right?" She recognized me, but seemed a bit troubled as to how I came to be there. Obviously, Jade couldn't keep everything from her mother.

"Yeah. Is Jade all right?" I questioned. I needed to know, and I needed to know now.

"She'll be fine, she has a concussion and needed a few stitches but other than that…" she trailed off, not knowing what else to say to her daughter's ex. We stood looking at each other for a few awkward minutes, neither of us knowing what to say.

I looked around and realized that there were no more seats.

"Here, you can take my seat, if you want. Or not. You don't have to. But, I mean. If you want to." Yup. I was rambling. But this was one of the most uncomfortable moments of my life.

She shook her head. "Actually, I have to sign some –" She was cut off by a man, who I recognized as Jade's father, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, looking like he had just rolled out of bed. A woman, who looked much neater in crisp black pants and a white shirt, followed closely.

"Where's Jade?" he gripped Ms. West by the arms, looking somewhat desperate. Funny how hospitals can change people. I tuned out while Ms. West told him where she was and studied him more. He looked so different, like half of his brain had been removed and he could only focus on simple tasks, like pulling on clothes or finding his daughter.

He left, and Ms. West went to a nearby desk, discussing animatedly with the nurse behind it. I sighed, cracked my neck, and tried to take a short nap.

But that didn't last long.

A few seconds later, Mr. West returned and stormed over to his ex-wife. "You think that was funny! What the fucking hell is wrong with you? Is she even hurt?" He was screaming at the top of his lungs, attracting everyone's attention.

Ms. West looked confused. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Jade! Who the hell else would I be talking about? She's not where you said she was, so where the hell is she?"

"What's wrong with Jade" I asked, upright in an instant.

"You, boy!" he screamed. "Do you know where she is?" His face was bright red and he looked ready to hit me.

"I told you exactly where she was!" Jade's mom said, trying to calm him down. It was silent for a minute as we all stared at each other, then they turned and ran back to the room. I followed, not being sure exactly where her room was.

When we got there, the room was empty. Slowly, I stepped towards the bed. At the bottom of the bed was her chart, her bag on one side. Slowly, I raised my gaze to the head of the bed. The sheets were stained red with blood.

I turned and threw up.

**Adam's POV**

I rolled Jade to a loading bay at the back of the hospital. Silently, I opened the heavy door and crept between several crates of bed linens.

"Chad!" I whispered. "Chad! Are you here?" I saw his head poke up from behind a stack of newspapers.

"Over here!"

"Any problems?"

He looked like he was going to be sick, but he shook his head. "She was sleeping."

"Come on. We gotta get out of here fast."

We rolled them towards a small generic looking truck that delivered packages all over the city. I pushed the door up, but it made a loud, clattering noise.

"Hey!" A shout rang out from behind us. I swiveled and saw a fat, sweaty security guard several yards away. "Stop! What do you think you're doing? You can't be here, and neither can they."

I rushed him, tackled him, and he fell three feet to the ground. His head hit the concrete floor with a sickening crack. Blood pooled around his head, and I pulled out the gun he carried at his waist.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had shot him three times.

Chad looked at me with scared eyes.

"What'd you do that for?" He hissed.

"I had to! Help me block this door!" He helped me push several crates in front of the door leading to the hospital.

We worked quickly and wordlessly bound the girls' wrists and ankles with thick twine, then placed them in the back of the truck. I moved into the break room in the back and found a cubby with a uniform in it. I pulled the shirt over my head and put on a brown cap.

I ran back into the loading bay. Chad was sitting in the back of the truck, his head in his hands. "We only have a few minutes," I said, gruffly. He was a weakling. He needed tough love.

Chad nodded. "What do we do with him?" he asked, motioning to the corpse. His voice was rough and hoarse, and I'm pretty sure I saw tear tracks on his cheeks. My eyes narrowed.

"We leave him. C'mon. Get in the passenger side. We gotta go."

You had to give him credit, he reacted quickly. Less than five seconds later he was in the passenger's seat, pulling down the seat belt as I started the truck.

We were almost a block away when we heard an alarm blaring from the hospital. Cop cars whizzed by us, but paid us no heed. I smirked as I turned on the radio. _Suckers_.

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><p><strong>So here's the deal. I think I chose bad times to update and junk. So, I'm gonna update on Fridays from now on, so people don't get overwhelmed if they don't check for a few days or something. Also, I was too lazy to write, so I still have a bunch more of the chapters to write. Anyway... see ya Friday.<strong>

**Read and Review!**


	15. It Certainly isn't Normal

**Well, boys and girls, gather 'round. Hope you've all been good, 'cause here's another chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Nope.**

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><p><strong>Andre's POV<strong>

I was dreaming. I had to be. Right?

I was in an empty hospital, the hallways eerily quiet, making my footsteps seem like gunshots. The oddest past was that I could see me. It was like I was on the outside looking in. Somehow, my feet knew where they were going. I passed room after room, sometime glimpsing in to see an exact clone of, well, me or one of my friends. The only difference was that the clones were hideously disfigured.

After I passed a room containing a Robbie clone with only half a face, I stopped walking. I knew this room. I pushed open the door to a far too familiar room with garish pink walls and hideously white floors. The bed was empty and made in the stiff military fashion. Someone in a worn blue bathrobe stood looking out the window. She turned around.

My mother stood in front of me, but she was too pale. _Andre._ _Andre. Why did you leave me? _She spoke quietly, but it wasn't her voice. I knew that much. It was so familiar, but I just couldn't place it. It tugged at the corners of my mind, trying to unravel it at the seams and drive me to insanity.

I guess it was just in my genes.

_Mom, I never left._ Tears were streaming down my face. She smiled and opened her arms for a hug. I rushed forward, aching for the contact, but I ran right through her.

_You forgot me!_ She screeched, brushing past me into the hallway. I followed her, tried to run, but the floor had turned to goo and I couldn't move fast enough.

_Mom, please! I never forgot you. Never. I still miss you. Please, mom! Wait! Come back!_ My voice cracked at the last bit. I finally made it to the door.

My mom was waiting at the end of the hallway, her back turned. I touched her shoulder and she turned around, but it wasn't her.

It was Tori. _Why didn't you save me?_ She cried. My eyes widened, and I realized whose voice is was earlier. _I needed you, and you weren't there._ Suddenly, her face morphed. Her teeth yellowed and fell out, her eyes turned red and her flesh started to melt. Horns sprouted from her head. She smirked and a ball of flames appeared in her hand. I ducked and it flew over my head.

The hospital dropped out from around me, leaving only a black obsidian bridge. Flames lapped at the sides of it, and the monster 'Tori' stood several feet away. I started running, and she started chasing me. I ran for hours, dodging and weaving, but 'Tori' kept up. Suddenly I fell into the bridge, and kept falling. The disfigured faces of my friends circled around me, whispering Y_our fault. Your fault. It's all your fault._

I woke up suddenly and almost fell out of my chair. I glanced at the wall clock. It was 1:32, and I was still tired. I blinked a couple of times and wiped the crust from my sleep deprived eyes. My head was pounding and my back hurt, but all I cared about where my two friends in trouble.

I checked my phone, but there were no new texts, no new updates, nothing but nothing.

Standing up, I stretched, and a groan escaped my lips. Robbie shifted in his sleep beside me. A wet patch on my shoulder told me that apparently he had fallen asleep on my shoulder, and that he drooled. Great.

I stretched some more, swiveling, and noticed Cat staring at me with big eyes from behind her knees.

"Hey Lil' Red," I spoke softly. She didn't need any more crap right now. "How you holding up?"

"I think that the better question is how are you holding up?"

"What do you mean?" For once, I was the one who was confused. She stood up, shortening the height distance, though only by a little bit.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" I did (I never could ever keep my feelings in), but I feigned innocence.

"Really? I say anything interesting?"

"Yep. You kept saying 'It's all my fault' and 'I'm sorry' and stuff like that" she said, moving a bit closer.

"I – I just really don't like hospitals." She nodded, accepting the answer for now, but her eyes still narrowed. "Did you hear anything about Tori or Jade?" I asked, changing the subject.

Her eyes narrowed as she sadly said, "No. Nothing new. Nobody's been able to see them."

I nodded, dejectedly. I sat back down, hoping for something to happen.

As they say, you gotta be careful what you wish for. About half an hour later, Mrs. Vega showed up. She smiled at us as she passed, then went on to Tori's room.

She returned a few moments later and argued furiously in hushed tones with a nurse, finally shouting "Where the fucking hell is my daughter?"

"I-I don't know," The timid nurse stuttered.

"Then find her."

Robbie, Cat and I shot each other worried glances. "Um, Mrs. Vega? What's going on?" Robbie cautiously asked.

She pinched her brow. "Tori's not in her room."

"What? Where is she?" I shouted.

"She might just be having some tests done, but…" Mrs. Vega trailed off. Cat whimpered beside me and Robbie comforted her as my phone began to ring.

"Andre!" I heard Beck's voice, but it was different than usual. He sounded panicked. It seemed worried panicky-ness was becoming normal for all of us. Jade couldn't have – she couldn't have died or something, right? "Jade's missing." Beck just blurted it out. I was silent for a minute. Something was definitely up.

"Andre? You still there, man?"

"Tori's missing too." Cat and Robbie perked up at the 'too' part. I looked at them and shook my head, telling them not to follow as I walked into the hallway.

"Andre, I'm not joking."

"Neither am I."

"That's a bit suspicious, don't you think."

"Well, I don't think it's _normal_. I think we should tell the police," I whispered, somehow it seemed too important to just say outright.

"Okay, okay. Is Tori's dad there?"

"Naw, but he should be here in a bit."

"Right, so I'll come to you, and then we'll both tell him, deal?"

"Sounds like a plan. But, ah, Beck? What about Cat and Robbie?"

"We'll fill them in when I get there." Having a plan, however flakey of one it was, made the situation more real, but also a bit less…severe.

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><p><strong>Read and review and Santa will bring you a pony!<strong>


	16. Freaks and Freak Outs

**I meant to update yesterday. but forgot. So, here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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><p><strong>Robbie's POV<strong>

_Cat took one step _

"_Why didn't you tell us?"_

"_Cat, we just didn't want to worry you. We thought it was nothing. We–"_

_Beck was cut off by a loud slap across his face, his tan skin turning a bright red, as red as the hair of the girl that hit him._

"_You didn't want to worry me? What, like I'm not already worried? I've been worried out of my damn mind. And what do you mean, it was nothing? Jade and Tori are MISSING!" Her eyes were furious, almost crazy, but there was a twinge of sadness mixed in. "They were counting on you," she said, her voice cracking._

_She ran out of the room, sobbing. Beck followed close behind. I tried to keep up, but I'm nowhere near as fast as them. When I turned a corner, I saw them._

_They were engrossed in their own little world, and he was doing what I should've done; comforting her, hugging her, whispering soothing words into her ear._

_I went slowly back to the waiting room, and the truth finally sunk in. Jade and Tori were missing, possibly dead, and with some creepy dudes who were obsessed with them. And to make matters worse, we didn't know who the hell these guys are, what they wanted, or where they were._

That was thirty minutes ago, but I was still sitting with my jaw open. This 'news' wasn't just news. We were halfway to hell, and our guides neglected to tell us. But, to be honest, it wasn't _just_ the "news." It was Cat's reaction. I'd never seen her so angry or violent. It was like she had woken up from a thousand year slumber and finally found out about all the shit in life.

I'd learned long ago about _life_. I mean, my mom moved out for god's sake. And, she moved out because of me. Now I just live with my dad, who barely gives me the time of day.

But Cat, she was lucky. While her brother was odd, to say the least, her parents still loved her. Her brother too, messed up as he is. They were just about as crazy as their kids, but they were just one big happy family. A fucked up Brady Bunch.

I guess life just decided to slap her in the face, and she just transferred on the motion. You can't blame her. But you can't really blame Beck and Andre either; they didn't really know what was going on either.

So who's to blame? Life's a bitch, but I'm going with the fucked up weirdoes who kidnapped Jade and Tori.

I stared at the wall in front of me for almost an hour. When I woke up out of my day dreams, Beck and Andre were talking with Tori's dad. Cat was sitting next to me, hugging my arm and resting her head on my shoulder.

"Hey," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "It's gonna be okay Cat."

She looked up at me with big, sad eyes. "How do you know that?" She had certainly calmed down.

"Jade's there. They're probably peeing themselves with fright by now. And even though she won't admit it, she's got Tori's back."

Cat giggled softly. "Yeah, I guess Jade can survive anything. She's invincible! Like a superhero."

"I don't think she really does the whole 'good thing.'"

She giggled again. "Not well. She's tried, with disastrous attempts."

I raised an eyebrow. "Like how?"

"Remember the last time that they broke up, before this one?" I nodded. With that, she launched into the story of how Jade almost killed Beck's dad. We laughed and talked for awhile, before Cat suddenly grew quiet.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that we're sitting here, laughing, and for all we know, they can't even speak right now," she admitted, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You can't think like that Cat. You gotta look on the bright side." She looked like she was about to reply, but Beck and Andre returned before she could say anything.

"What'd Mr. Vega say?" I asked eagerly.

Beck shook his head. "They said that they'd do what they could, but without knowing who these guys are, we don't know much. They're looking at the security feed now, but it doesn't look good."

"Don't they have any leads?" Cat pleaded.

Beck looked reluctant, but he finally gave up one more piece of information. "They found a body in the loading bay. The only good news is that they can trace a license plate, hopefully find them that way.

Cat and I looked at each other, wary. Now we knew these guys were killers. The story just gets better and better, doesn't it?

"They're doing a story on it on the news right now," Andre said as gently as possible, nudging us closer to the TV and turning it on.

After the tail end of a weather report, a blonde haired woman in a black pantsuit appeared.

_In local news, two teenage girls, Jadelyn West and Victoria Vega, have been kidnapped from Los Angeles Children's Hospital. _Their pictures showed up on the screen. _The girls had been admitted for different reasons at different times, but the police have informed us that they were classmates at Hollywood Arts High School. They also stated that the girls had been approached and later harassed the previous night by two teenage boys after a performance. The boys reportedly followed them from local sushi restaurant Nozu, where the two girls rejected the boys. The girls are still missing, and any persons with information regarding their whereabouts should call the hotline at the bottom of the screen._

A number appeared for a minute, before the story changed and a new reporter came into focus. I couldn't help but sigh. The report was too clinical; it was like they weren't people. Not real people. It was like they were some kid's dolls that could be replaced when they were lost. But I guess all people are just that: replaceable.

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><p><strong>Read and review! <strong>

**Did anyone else notice that line (I think it was in Locked Up) where Robbie said his mom moved out but was giving him a second chance? I feel like all the parents in Victorious are neglectful. Anyway, have a nice life!**

**(P.S. Updates on FRIDAYS!)**


	17. Some Sort of Gift

**So... guess who forgot to update yesterday? ME! This week was difficult in the I-just-really-want-a-nap kind of way.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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><p><strong>Adam's Mom's POV<strong>

I sighed as I hung up the phone. Adam's father, my ex-husband, was just too stubborn. He hates Adam with a burning passion. That's why he left, and that's why he won't pay child support. But Adam can't help that he's sick. Deep down, my ex-husband knows this, but he's still mad about the… _incident_ that occurred several years ago. Probably even a bit scared of what Adam's capable of, even though he won't admit it.

My eyelids were heavy, staying up late waiting for your eldest son to come home does that to you, but I had to help Adam's little brother get ready for school. I woke him up, and poured some cereal in a bowl for him.

After shooing him out the door, telling him he would miss the bus, I went back to the kitchen. I pulled out a bottle of cheap vodka and poured myself some in a glass. I walked to the living room but changed my mind and went back into the kitchen. I grabbed the entire bottle and went to sit on the couch.

I flipped on the TV, searching for something to watch. I settled for an old episode of Law & Order, even though I'd seen it millions of times before. Before I knew it, I had finished the whole bottle of vodka and passed out on the couch.

I awoke sometime in the evening. I blinked a few times to clear up my vision, and looked at the clock, checking the time. Adam's brother was at his dad's house, as he was really Adam's half brother, and while Adam should have gone to school, I was certain he hadn't.

I stumbled to the basement door and called down to him. "Adam! Do you want something to eat?" No reply. I clunked down the stairs, feeling like my feet were stuck to the steps with Gorilla Glue.

As I got closer to his room, I saw his door open. Something was wrong. "Adam?" I called out cautiously.

Warily, I pushed the door open even more and gasped at what I saw.

His room was in shambles, and he had marked every wall with two words: Jade West, over and over again. It had started out small near the base of his bed, and grew gradually bigger.

I stepped into the middle of the room and slowly turned around, my eyes following the words. Finally, after a 180° turn, I saw it. Jade West was written in foot tall letters, the largest of all. Then, it had been furiously crossed out over and over again.

Shocked, I staggered out of the room and up the stairs, vowing never to go down again. Finally reaching the living room, I collapsed on the couch. Law & Order had ended, and the news had come on. Too tired to change the program, I just stared at the TV without paying attention, hugging a pillow.

Then, I heard the name Jade West. Confused, I rewound the program a few seconds to the beginning of the segment.

_The two girls who disappeared from the hospital this afternoon, Tori Vega and Jade West, are still missing and their captors still at large. If you have any information about these girls, please contact the hotline at the bottom of the screen._

"Oh shit," I whispered. I fumbled with the remote, pausing the program. I pulled out my phone, and, after several attempts, my jittering fingers finally punched in the number.

**Beck's POV**

Tori and Jade had been officially missing for five hours. Everyone was a mess. There were no leads.

The guy's backs were mostly turned to the cameras, and anything that was captured was much too grainy to use. They found the van the guys stole about an hour ago in a parking lot, but it had been torched.

So there was nothing. Apparently all those tax dollars that go to the police are wasted, because they're useless.

I was still fuming on the waste of space that is the police, when an officer came into the room where we were sitting in the police station. Cat followed after him, the last of us to give our statements; she kept breaking down.

Mr. Vega carried refreshments with him.

"Okay, I have three hot chocolates and one coffee, black with two sugars." Cat, Andre, and Robbie all took their hot chocolates while I took my drink, Jade's favorite. In her honor. Because for all I knew, she would never order this drink again.

We sat in contemplative silence, each trying to imagine life without our friends. I knew we'd all fall apart, and we'd all go in our own directions.

I had a sneaking suspicion that Cat would end up in a psych ward. Hell, if Jade didn't make it back, I'd probably end up there too. There or rehab.

I pulled my legs up to sit uncomfortably with crossed legs resting on the arm rests. Jade and Tori weren't comfortable, so why should I be? Actually, once I thought about it, they might be very comfortable. The guys who where obsessed with them, they liked them, maybe even loved them. There's a good chance that they were comfortable, but probably restrained or something. They could be lying on a pile of fluffy pillows, but it didn't matter. All I gave a damn about was having them back.

It was this I was thinking, while my legs fell asleep, when Mr. Vega entered the room. He was trying to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes and he looked rather creepy.

"We got a lead," he stated. We all stood up, and I cursed my seating decision as my feet felt like they were being stabbed by a million tiny people.

"Well, tell us!" Robbie said, impatiently. I murmured in agreement.

"Some boy named Adam Brunswick. His mom called it in. Apparently he's somewhat mentally unstable, and when she went down to check on him…" he trailed off, unsure of how to continue. We all stared at him, prodding him to go further. "He had written Jade's name on every wall. He wasn't home, and it doesn't look like he will be."

"What about the other guy?" Andre implored. It was so obvious that he was in love with Tori. He was just so freaking easy to read. He always did talk about being unable to keep in his feelings.

"Apparently Adam has a friend, ah.." he checked his file, "named Chad, also mentally unstable and hasn't been home in a few days. We're trying to locate them now, and we're bringing in their parents for further questioning." Mr. Vega smiled a bit, glad to have hope.

We were all glad; it was the second best gift anyone could give us right now. The first would, of course, be just giving us Tori and Jade, unhurt.

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><p><strong>So. What did you think? Ya know what would be cool? If there was some way for you to tell me how you feel about this chapter...oh, wait. (Hint hint, nudge, nudge).<strong>

**I'll (probably) see you Friday. If I forget, please drop me a note or something. Much appreciated. Again, sorry. (I'm kind of an idiot.)**


	18. Couple of Songbirds

**LOOK WHO REMEMBERED TO UPDATE ON TIME! MEEEEE!**

**Disclaimer: Nope**

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><p><strong>Tori's POV<strong>

When I woke up, I panicked: I wasn't in my room. Then it all came rushing back to me. The bush daisies, Chad, and waking up in the hospital. So where the hell was I know? My mind was still groggy, and the question loomed over me like a mountain.

I thought back to everything my dad had taught me. I couldn't see, so I had to use my other senses. I could hear cars whizzing past outside, so I was… near a highway? It was too big to be the trunk of a car, so that was somewhat comforting. A sudden bump sent me flying, and, unable to use my hands to stop myself, I crashed into a metal wall.

I groaned in pain, but at least I knew where I was now. Why couldn't I use my hands? I tried to wiggle them before I realize they were tied together. Same with my feet.

Turns out I was right to panic.

We drove for what felt like an eternity, but was probably no more than ten or fifteen minutes. I 'entertained' myself thinking about all the horrible things that whoever took me could want with me. Were they after my dad, was it for money…were they human traffickers? I started to hyperventilate.

When we suddenly stopped, I was thrown against the wall again. But this time, I landed on something warm and squishy. At first I thought it was an animal or a pillow, but the moan that was let out from underneath me let me know otherwise. It was a human, and made my trafficking theory all the more plausible.

Bright light assaulted my eyeballs as a shadowy figure stepped into the opening at the back of the truck. I blinked, trying to see them better, but I was quickly thrown over their shoulder. I struggled as best I could, but no avail. I could see behind me though.

A pile of black and blue hair melded into the darkness as I was carried away. I found myself in the back of another vehicle, this time a van, and my overly, and unusually, slow brain was still trying to put together who it was I had seen before.

By the time my brain put two and two together, I could see her approaching. Jade. Which gave me a clue as to who our captors were: Chad and that other guy, whose name we never did get.

Jade was literally hurled into the back, and landed in a heap near the door. She didn't move. I inched over to her, moving as fast as I could with tied arms and legs. The van was moving by the time I got to her.

"Jade!" I whisper-yelled in her ear. No response. "Jade! Wake up!" After about five minutes of this, she finally stirred, but didn't wake up.

In a desperate attempt to wake her up, I said her name a bit louder, but it was enough. The driver, the unknown guy with black hair, shouted at Chad, "Get back there and shut them up!"

Chad, who didn't appear too bright, asked, "How?"

"I dunno, find some rags or something!" Chad climbed into the back and rooted around in some boxes. He pulled out some oily, stained rags that had, at one time, been white, but were now slightly green. He shoved one in Jade's mouth first before turning to me.

I refused to open my mouth. "C'mon, Tori, please? Just open your mouth?" I shook my head.

The driver seemed furious now. "Jesus Christ, Chad! What the hell is taking so long?"

"She won't open her mouth, Adam." So that was his name.

"Well make her!"

Again, Chad asked, "How?"

"Pinch her nose. Do it quick or else I'm gonna have to pull over and come back, and it's not gonna be pleasant." I heard a gun click from the front seat, and I sat up straight. Chad turned to me. He reached out to close my nose with greasy fingers, but I opened my mouth first. He smiled slightly at me, and mouthed thank you as he stuffed the rag inside my mouth. I cringed at the taste and slumped back against the wall to wait out the ride.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, the van had stopped in the parking lot of some warehouse. It was old, and the red brick had faded to a mottled brown. The ceiling was missing a few places, and many windows were broken or missing.

We were taken into the warehouse through a back door. After walking down a dark hallway, we emerged into a small cement room filled with pipes. The light here was dim, most of it coming from an old warning light that flashed orange. I was set down at one side of the room, and Chad retied my hands around a green pipe and took out the rag. I spat out the foul taste.

Jade was tied to a pipe on the floor at the other side of the room, still unconscious, but lying down. At least, I hope she was unconscious. I couldn't see her breathing, and I hadn't checked when we were in the van. The only sign of life was the moan and the slight shift in her sleep.

Chad and the other guy left through a thick, metal door, and I heard a lock click shut. I looked around the room, trying to figure out a way to escape.

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><p>Jade groaned from the other side of the room, breaking my train of thought.<p>

"Jade! You okay?" She stared up at the celing, as if she couldn't hear me. "Jade?" I asked, worrying. Her eyes flitted around the room before landing on me.

She winced as she sat up. "I've been better," she stated, matter of factly. "Do you remember what happened? Or how we got here?"

"Well, you were unconscious the whole ride here, so –"

"That explains a lot," she interrupted me.

"Yeah," I drew out the word, "so how come you just woke up?"

She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I've been up for awhile. I'm pretty sure I was drugged. But, how come we woke up at different times."

Jade shrugged. "Maybe we got different doses." I nodded, and we fell into silence for a few minutes, both examining the room we were stuck in.

Then, Jade slumped over. "Jade!" I screeched. I was terrified. I struggled desperately with the ropes on my arms, but they didn't budge. Finally, I collapsed from exhaustion.

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><p>I woke up to a soggy burger being pushed in front of me. Chad was squatting down in front of me, looking concerned. He looked relieved when I woke up.<p>

"I got you some food," he said. It was only then I realized that I hadn't eaten in…well, a very long time. But I was suspicious of the food. I eyed it warily, and Chad looked sad. "It's from McDonalds," he said, pointing to the bag. "I'll leave it here."

He placed it back in the wrapper and stepped away. He went over to the other side of the room and began checking Jade. He shook her side, and eventually, after several minutes, she woke up.

I let out the breath I was holding in. She wasn't dead. That's a plus. But something was definitely wrong with her.

It was only when Jade sat up that I realized they had changed our bindings. Each of us was connected to our pipes by a chain around one of our wrists. It was a relatively simple binding, chain from a hardware store locked by thick padlocks, probably from the same hardware store. It gave us the ability to move our hands and move a couple of feet across the room, but we were still pretty far apart.

Chad left the room quickly after Adam called him. Jade looked at me, confused. "Tori? Where the hell are we?"

"You mean you don't remember?" I asked. This was bad, really, really bad.

"Not really."

"The guys from Nozu, do you remember them?"

"Sorta."

"Well, they took us."

"Oh." That was all she had to say, like it was a normal thing. Jade gazed around the room, and eventually sighed. She scooted forward and picked up her hamburger.

"Jade!" I screamed. "We don't know where that's been. They could have poisoned it or something!"

"Well, they're either gonna poison us, or starve us to death. Personally, I prefer poison," Jade stated, as she started to eat her burger. I debated it for a few moments, before doing the same. It was okay, somewhat cold, but it was as good as you're gonna get from McDonalds.

Jade finished her burger quickly, and then stared up at the ceiling while I finished. "So…" she dragged out the 'o', highlighting the awkward tension in the room.

"So," I repeated her action, neither of us knew what to say. Because, really? We were kidnapped! What are you supposed to say?

Jade slumped back against the wall, but winced once her head made contact with the wall. "Shit!" she groaned, as she lifted her hand to her head. Gingerly, she felt along her skull, as I waited anxiously. "I think I know why I didn't remember anything," she stated after a pregnant pause.

"Well?"

"Pretty sure I got a concussion." She turned her hand around so I could see it. It was red, covered with blood. She rubbed her nose with her other hand, then pointed next to me. Her motions were getting sloppy. "It would explain why there are several of you. Unless you have some twins you didn't tell me about."

"Jade –" I stopped; I didn't know what to say. Jade shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm tired," she said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. She maneuvered onto her back, careful with her head.

"Jade, you know, you really shouldn't…fall asleep." It was too late; her eyes were closed as she adventured into the land of nod.

I, too, soon fell asleep, only to be woken by Chad staring intently at me. "Get up," he said, as he unlocked my hands. Confused, I followed him.

After several twists and turns, we arrived at a grimy orange door. "No funny business or Jade gets it," Chad stated as he pushed me through the door.

I emerged into a bathroom, most likely a woman's from the lack of urinals. Cautiously, I pushed open the first stall door. To my surprise, the water was still running. I suppose they must have rented it or something, because the lights worked too.

Someone was paying the bills.

I quickly did my business, and tried to search for a way out, but found none. Nothing that wouldn't get me or Jade killed. So, I returned to the hallway.

Chad escorted me to the room. Jade brushed past me as I passed back into it, Adam supporting and leading her. She glanced at me, but tripped over a small ledge and averted her gaze to the floor.

She returned several minutes later, and Adam locked her to the pipe again. We didn't speak until they left.

"Don't go to sleep this time, Jade."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Jade…" I trailed off, warningly.

"If you don't want me to sleep, then what are you gunna do about it?" she challenged. She seemed slightly better than before; her words weren't as slurred.

I was silent, but an idea, a memory really, hit me. "Do you remember Andre's grandma's advice?"

"To wear tin foil hats and shirts? 'Cause that's not happening." She raised an eyebrow.

"No! To sing." Jade just stared at me like I _was_ Andre's grandma. Quietly, I began. "Here I am, once-"

Jade interrupted me. "If you're going to sing, at least sing something good."

"Fine," I replied, exasperated, "what do you want to sing?"

So that's how we ended up singing an endless playlist of old rock songs. We sang until we couldn't anymore, then fell into a semi-comfortable silence.

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><p><strong>3rd Person POV<strong>

Above Tori and Jade, Adam and Chad watched them from a room with a one-way window. "What'd I tell you? We got a bunch of song birds."

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><p><strong>Just for the record: I'm no doctor, and this story is fiction, so don't expect anything to be medically accurate.<strong>

**Anyway, READ AND REVIEW! (Please?) See ya Friday.**


	19. A Plan?

**I'm back, but one day late! (I know, I know, I just suck at remembering stuff.) Anyway, it's that time of year again! What time of year, you ask. Finals! So I may not get a chance to update next week. We'll see.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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><p><strong>Beck's POV<strong>

It had been three days since I saw Jade. Who knew these psychopaths would be so damn smart? There was no indication of where they took Jade and Tori.

Their parents were hopeless. They didn't know a damn thing about their kids. Thought they were perfect little angels until four days ago. Even now, I don't think Chad's parents believe it. They think that we made it up, or that Adam was blackmailing Chad or some bullshit like that.

The rest of us spent those four days together, in my RV. It was our new unofficial hangout, since hanging out at Tori's would be weird. Cat and Andre's houses were too insane, and Robbie's parents didn't like him…or us. So, even though it was small, we all crowded onto the orange couch and watched movies, ate junk food, and stared at the phone, waiting for it to ring. Begging, pleading, praying for it to ring.

It was somewhat awkward, I must admit, having three guys and one girl on a couch made for two. We were zombies, just moving through life. We did the motions, played along, but we couldn't do much else. 'Cause everywhere we looked, in everything we did, there were constant reminders that Jade and Tori were gone. There was a giant hole in our lives, and it was impossible to miss.

Our parents made us go to school today. Kicked us out of the RV. So, while the rest of them went home to get their stuff, I silently packed my bag.

Even that was a painful reminder. With Jade, things were never quiet. We were either yelling, or singing, or even just talking, but there was always noise. Music was constantly played, an infinite playlist that blended into the background as Jade and I would talk about nothing in particular.

The silence, and my internal reverie, was interrupted by the phone ringing. I scrambled for it, tripping over a forgotten plaid shirt and falling to the ground in front of the counter it was placed on. My hand reached up, blindly feeling for the phone as I used the other to untangle my legs. I got it, nearly dropped it, but miraculously managed to catch it and answer it.

"Hello?" I asked, anxious.

"Hello sir, I would like to inform you about an amazing opportunity-"

"Don't call here again," I seethed, my voice dangerously calm.

"Well, sir, if that's-" the telemarketer was interrupted by me furiously jabbing 'end' and slamming it down on the receiver.

Just my luck. Sometimes, I feel like my life is a TV show, everything scripted to conspire against, or sometimes for, me. Usually a sitcom, with all the insane adventures me and my friends had fallen into, but not anymore. My problems weren't solved in thirty minutes. No, not even in three days.

I wanted to punch something, or rather, the someones who had taken Tori and Jade. But that didn't seem like it was happening anytime soon. The phone rang again.

Angrily I picked it up.

"What!" I screamed into it.

"Sir-" It was the damn telemarketer.

"Don't call here again." I threw the phone at the wall and sank down till I was sitting against the counter. I wanted to cry. I wanted to do a million things, but I couldn't do any of them, because, what right did I have to cry, when I wasn't the one whose life was in danger.

The freaking phone rang again. Why wouldn't this fucking telemarketer get the hint?

The phone was resting a few feet away, and I stretched out to get it, ready to kill the man on the other side of the line.

"I said, don't call here again!"

"Beck!" I guess third time's the charm because it was Mr. Vega.

"Do you have new information?" I asked eagerly.

"Yes, well, sort of. We have some leads, but it's not enough." I sighed, defeated and deflated.

"So why are you calling here?"

"We need to meet, somewhere private." He sounded nervous, and somewhat jittery. "I have a…favor to ask of you."

I figured I could miss another day of school, so we arranged to meet at a coffee shop a few blocks from Hollywood Arts. Jade and I used to go there every day after school. Most days, since the break up, I found myself taking a wrong turn and going there accidentally.

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><p>I really needed a coffee fix, so Mr. Vega waited while I bought some. When I returned to the table, I got a good look at him.<p>

He looked like a mess. His hair was greasy and disheveled, and there were deep purple bags under his eyes. His clothes were mismatched, his socks two different colors, and his tie was horribly out of place. In other words, he looked exactly how you would expect someone to look like if their daughter was kidnapped.

He glanced around the coffee shop then turned back to me. "Beck, what I'm about to ask from you is highly illegal, so I need to know that I can trust you. If you don't want anything to do with this, I understand, and you can walk out of here right now, no hard feelings. But if you do-"

I interrupted him. "Will it get back Jade and Tori?"

"If all goes according to plan, yes."

"Then count me in." He seemed a bit startled by my harsh tone of voice but recovered quickly.

"I'm not really supposed to be working on this case," he stated. "But I have a few friends, and they let me look at the files. When they weren't looking, I made copies." He glanced around the nearly empty coffee shop and pulled out a blank manila folder from a black, leather laptop bag sitting next to his seat.

He laid out a few pages on the table. I scanned them. There wasn't much information, but it looked like there were a few good pieces.

"I have a few street contacts, so I put out some feelers, and found out that the two guys – Chad and Adam – sometimes hang out near some old warehouses. It's not much, and not enough to get a search warrant. Since I'm a police officer, I can't do anything, and I have to work inside the law. But you…" he trailed off, leaving me to fill in the illicit details.

I smirked. This day was already getting better.

* * *

><p>I rushed into Sikowitz's classroom, more than thirty minutes late, but I was in a good mood. Better than I had in awhile.<p>

"Beck! You're late," Sikowitz stated, pointing out the obvious.

"Yes. I am."

"Okay then. Take a seat." I smirked. Sikowitz only ever gave out detentions if you touched his coconuts, which was one of the reasons he was my favorite teacher.

As soon as I sat down, Sikowitz yelled, "Quick! Drive-by acting exercise!" We spent the rest of the class doing various and ridiculous tasks Sikowitz made up for us to do.

The bell soon rang, ending the class right before we were forced to pretend to be broke superheros. Robbie, Cat and Andre were about to leave, but I called them back.

"What, Beck?" Andre asked. He looked fatigued, and I knew I was wearing on his patience.

"Why are you so happy?" Cat asked after scrutinizing my face. "Did they find them?"

"No. But, I do have some news," I stated, spying Sikowitz preparing to leave out of the window. "Sikowitz! Wait up!" I called out.

If this was going to work, we'd need all the help we could get.

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><p><strong>So... what'd you think?<strong>


	20. Bang! You're Dead

**I'm so sorry that I didn't update. My computer crashed not once but twice, and I lost a bunch of documents, this story being one of them. It wasn't very high up on the must-replace list because I had a bunch of stuff from school to re-do first. BUT, the chapter is done now, and I decided to update today instead of tomorrow as an apology. One last chapter to write, which is the epilogue.**

**This is the last full chapter. It's also the longest**!** WHOO!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Becks' POV<strong>

The plan was good; just the right amount of insanity and unpredictability combined with serious and scary shit. I was right to bring my friends in on it. Not only were they in, but they were excited too. They had hope, which – I can tell you – is the best feeling around when all you've got are missing and wanted posters.

The only one who looked less than ecstatic was Sikowitz. He had a weird look on his face, like he crapped in his pants or something.

"You alright?" I asked, slightly concerned. We could do it without him, but it would be just so much better if he agreed. Plus, he could get us out of school no questions asked.

"I suppose. But this is hardly legal, and-"

"Since when have you ever cared about legal?" I countered, cutting him off before he could express his doubt and flip the others.

He sighed, and I knew we had won him over.

LINE BREAK

One of the best things about Hollywood Arts was the costume department. It was fantastic; you could find anything you needed there. Housed in a small, dark room near the main theater, it was always packed with students designing costumes, being fitted, searching for a missing hat, or, like us, renting out a costume.

For our "student film," the costumes were mostly rather simple to find. But it definitely helped having Cat, the queen of costumes, on our side. She helped direct us to the racks we should look at for the clothes and was a wiz at picking out the right size just by looking.

Andre and I each held armfuls of clothes as she pushed us towards the dressing rooms. I pulled on a dark navy v-neck, black jeans, and a dark leather jacket, but kept my combat boots.

Andre was already waiting outside the rooms, wearing similar clothes, leaning against the wall playing on his cracked phone. Apparently his grandma had smashed it.

As Andre and I stepped out to make a quick stop at the prop shop, I caught a glimpse of Cat working on Robbie and Sikowitz. Their costumes were more complex and required a makeover as well.

They were almost unrecognizable. Cat had straightened their hair and slicked it back. Sikowitz's beard had been trimmed and combed too.

Their costumes were half finished. Sikowitz had the bottom half of a grey three piece suit on, an untucked white shirt, and a blue tie hung loosely around his neck. Robbie, on the other hand, was sitting in his boxers, which I couldn't help but snigger at. He had a black suit jacket hanging off the back of his chair. He too wore a white shirt, but he wore a black vest and grey tie. Both had expensive looking watches around their wrists, and Robbie was mumbling something to Cat as he peered into the mirror.

This was going to work. I just knew it.

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><p><strong>Tori's POV<strong>

It had been a few day since our capture, or, at least, I estimated so. With no watch, no phone, and no windows, there was no real way to tell time. I only wore pajamas and we shivered in the cold air, but Jade had on jeans and a t-shirt. She apparently had been taken fully dressed because she had her boots too.

I was worried. Jade kept falling asleep. And when she was awake, she was usually confused. She kept forgetting what had happened and why we were there. Every time I told her, she pretended to know, but it was a shoddy act at best, and I saw right through it.

Despite her confusion, she was, for once, pleasant to talk to, curbing her harsh words and diverting the flow of conversation away from dark or disturbing topics. I think she sensed the doom looming over us. It had been days, and I knew from talking with my dad that the police would be discouraged by now. I didn't have the heart to tell Jade. She somehow also knew our chances of survival were low, even though she couldn't remember why. She knew we probably weren't getting out alive. And, I think she was trying to comfort me.

I know, _Jade _comforting _me_? Unthinkable. But death, and the fear of it, is a basic human instinct. And it's a bonding experience. I read somewhere that a lot of people who go through near death experiences together end up married.

I don't think our relationship will get that far, but, still, friends? That would be nice. She'd never admit it, but we could both feel ourselves gravitating closer. I was pretty sure that at least, our relationship would never be the same.

In one of her clearer moments, Jade sat, studying the intricate pipe work above my head and playing with something near her boot. It was one of those moments in between conversation topics when people fall into a comfortable silence. But what Jade said next surprised me.

"Do you think we're gonna die here?" Jade asked, her voice thick with worry and…fear?

"No!" I was quick to shoo away the morbid thought, but my remark sounded harsh and biting, even to my ears. "I mean, they'll find us," I said. Quietly, I whispered to myself, "They have to."

"How? We've been here for days. It doesn't look good. So tell me oh-so-perfect Tori. How are they going to find us?"

"They just will, Jade. I can feel it. I bet they're looking for us right now."

Jade scoffed quietly. "Yeah, looking for you." She said it so quietly; I had to strain to hear it. I don't think she meant for me to hear that, but I did.

"Jade-" I fumbled for words.

"Save it Tori," she spat, shifting her gaze to meet mine for the first time since the conversation began. "You don't think I haven't heard you all calling me a gank? They're _your _friends. _Your _dad is looking. _My _dad? Pretty sure he's in Ohio fucking some blonde bimbo."

I sighed, my voice gentler than usual, "Jade. They're looking for you too. They're your friends, even if they don't always act like it. They have been since before I even showed up. And if you didn't make it out, they'd fall apart. They're looking for you, and they're gonna find both of us."

Jade was silent and retaliated by closing her eyes. I was sure she'd fallen asleep until I hear her mumble, "Don't think this changes anything between us, Vega."

I smirked and rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't want it any other way, Jade."

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><p><strong>Beck's POV<strong>

I sighed. Another warehouse and another bust. I threw myself into a folding chair set up in the back of the van we had been using as base. If we found them, Mr. Vega would hear us through our almost microscopic mikes he had "borrowed" and call the police. But so far, we'd found absolutely nothing, besides a few old cigarette butts.

There were only a few warehouses left, and it was late evening. With only enough time for searching one more warehouse before giving up, everyone was discouraged. The guys had been smart enough to avoid detection so far, so there was a very real possibility that they'd move location before we found them. But we tried to ignore that fact for now. We had to cling to the little bit of hope that we'd find them soon.

Cat hovered around, fixing our appearances so we didn't look haggard or barbaric. Andre and Robbie each gulped down water and ate a few bites of soggy sandwiches. We'd worked through lunch and dinner, so it was understandable.

I didn't eat anything; I'd lost my appetite. I knew if I ate something, I'd end up throwing up in a few minutes. My stomach was alight with bees. Not butterflies; it wasn't the sort of nerves that were pleasant or exciting. It was the type where you knew it was a life or death situation. The type where you knew one mistake, and boom: you're dead. Or they're dead. Or we're all dead.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, warding off a headache. Too bad we didn't have any aspirin. I sighed as I stood up. Crouching, I made my way to the door, pushed it open, and jumped down. I stretched, grimacing at my sore muscles and stiff back.

"You guys ready?" I asked, peering into the dimness I had just left. They murmured their agreements and moved to join me. Robbie, the last one out, looked forlornly at his sandwich but reluctantly shut the door.

We moved quickly to the warehouse door. It didn't look like a place that anyone would choose to stay in, but we had to check everything.

The door was, thankfully unlocked. We stood at one end of a large, open space. There were a few moldy crates scattered around, but the majority of the room was clear. Cement pillars held up the decaying roof, and the only light in the room came from the fading sunlight filtering through the dirty skylights and windows. Panes were cracked, shattered, and missing, making the room's shadows irregular and odd shaped, but shadows worked to our advantage.

It was silent, and I turned to leave, but Andre nudged me. Metal stairs led to a platform above the space we were in. Next to it, a rough office-like room stood, though it looked like it had been constructed eons ago, before the invention of smelting. There was a large window in it, overlooking the main floor, designed so the boss could see the work going on and make sure his employees weren't slacking off.

"Hey!" a man, or a teenaged guy, it was hard to tell in this light, and we were still on the other side of the room, with dark brown hair called out, now visible on the platform.

A few discreet glances were shared; this was it. It couldn't be sure, but the guy before us was most likely one of the kidnappers. That is, if Adam and Chad were the kidnappers. You could never be sure. But, after all, it was the only person who wasn't homeless or a drug addict that we'd run into all day.

"Hello!" Andre bellowed out from beside me. I looked around, but couldn't see any trace of Tori or Jade anywhere. And that was bad, very, very bad. Our plan had relied on seeing them, so we could get the police involved.

"What do you want?"

Our costumes were only a cover story, a way to get into and out of the warehouses without any trouble. We were supposed to be looking for a warehouse to rent. But the costumes gave me an idea.

"We have a business proposition for you," I improvised. "Something you could find _very_ satisfying." He glared at us for a minute.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I work for a very important man." I pointed to Sikowitz. "He just wants a minute of your time."

"No. Go away." This was not the desired result. We still couldn't tell if it was the right person or if Tori and Jade were here.

"Please. Money is no object!" I panicked and almost blurted it out. I didn't think I sounded very convincing, but the others looked impressed at my quick thinking, so it somehow must have worked.

His eyes narrowed, but he still motioned for us to come up.

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><p><strong>Adam's POV<strong>

They were far away, but I knew I recognized them. Though they could barely be seen, their voices were familiar. Honestly, they were idiots. Did they not realize I'd seen them twice? Once at the play and once in the parking lot. And there was that other time, but they didn't know about that.

What did they think we were going to do, just give back the girls we kidnapped? I wasn't exactly sure what we'd do, but that definitely wasn't it.

But, apparently, they were naïve and trusting, so they approached as I returned to the office we had set up in.

Chad was leaning back in a metal folding chair, balancing it against the wall behind him. He had a napkin messily tucked into the neck of his shirt and was eating a roast beef sandwich. The juices ran down his hand as he bit into it, dripping down, only to be caught by the flimsy off-white material.

He stood up when I entered, putting down his sandwich and wiping his face. "What's going on?" he asked, throwing the napkin down onto the table.

I walked past him, to a rusty file cabinet where the stolen gun lay. "I need you to do something."

He looked at me, eyes laden with worry as I handed it to him. I whispered the plan quickly to him, and his worry increased exponentially. But he understood and nodded when I was done explaining. I patted his back as he set off towards another door in the back of the office. "Good man."

As soon as Chad left, the others walked in.

I sat down in Chad's place, picking up my own sandwich. I could see them clearly now, just as they could me. I smiled. "So, let's hear this proposition of yours."

They looked calm, but small little ticks showed of the nervousness they kept suppressed below the surface. I took a big bite of my sandwich and started chewing, a broad grin spreading across my face. Oh, how I despise those of less intelligence. They make it much too easy.

The tan one, Beck, I remembered, spoke. "We heard some rumors that you had some girls. My boss here," he gestured at a man behind him, "would like to buy them, provided that they're not injured or anything." I recognized the old guy too. He was some teacher or director or something at their school. Crazy dude, or so I'd heard.

I stood up and paced toward the back wall, near the door. Facing away from them, my hands behind my back and the picture of complacency, I said, "I'm afraid I can't help you there, _Beck_."

They murmured behind me, and I swiveled around, my grin even bigger now. "What, did you forget that I knew you?" Their faces contorted at the pained realization of their ignorance. They dropped all pretenses and got straight down to it. Beck rushed at me, grabbing me by my collar.

"Where are they?" he shouted, spitting in my face as he spoke. I calmly brought one hand up to my cheek, wiping the spittle off. This only infuriated him more, as he slammed me into the wall, repeating his question.

One of the members of the group, who I know realized to be a girl dressed as a boy, put a hand on his shoulder. "Beck! This isn't going to help with anything."

He shrugged her hand off, practically shaking with anger. "Why not? I think getting rid of some of the scum of the earth is a great way to help," he sneered. The African American boy behind them seemed to agree.

"He has a partner, remember? We have no idea where he is or whether he has _them_ or not," she rationalized. "We need him, to find Tori and Jade."

Beck listened to her, reluctantly. He set me down and turned to walk away.

Then, two loud bangs rang out through the air, followed by a scream. I couldn't help myself; I laughed. A dark, evil chuckle came out of my mouth, and Beck turned, only one step away, and launched a hard punch strait into my face. My head snapped back, hitting the wall behind me. Blood rushed out of my nose as he closed the distance.

He started punching me, over and over again. I doubled over after one punch directly to my stomach. I think someone was screaming, but it didn't matter to me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the unused syringe from the day we kidnapped the girls. I measured it the other day; it was an inch and a half. I straightened slightly, and as Beck went in for another punch, I stuck it into his side.

His fist fell short and his hand immediately went to his side. Stunned and clutching at the needle sticking out of his stomach at an awkward angle, he wavered and the girl rushed to catch him as he wavered. I escaped out the door, but I heard shouts behind me. I knew that needle wouldn't be enough to make a clean getaway; it would just surprise him. But the twists and turns of this old warehouse might confuse them.

I ran down the stairs behind the door, and reached the room where you could see the girls below, but I didn't stop to look. Somebody was screaming; one of them was still alive. So I kept running, through one of the numerous doors in the room, down a metal staircase, around a corner and through another door to another hallway and another staircase. I heard another shot and smiled, but I leapt over a box and continued sprinting.

After about a minute of running, I reached the door. I flung it open, ready to enjoy the view, expecting to see two dead bodies and Chad waiting by the door. What I saw instead, shocked me.

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><p><strong>3<strong>**rd**** Person POV**

(Several Minutes Earlier)

Chad took the gun, gulping down air as he slowly made his way to the boiler room storing the girls. He didn't know what to do. What could he do? If he didn't kill the girls, Adam would probably kill him. If killed Tori, he didn't think he could go on himself.

He mulled over the thoughts, but he couldn't come to a decision before he reached the door. He opened it, the gun at his side. The girls inside the room stared at the gun, fear clawing at their insides, screams just waiting to be released.

It was too late to go back, wasn't it? Chad knew the truth. He knew what he had to do. He raised the gun.

The shots resonated in the air, a looming knell, a beacon for Death. Jade's eyes widened as her unchained hand moved agonizingly to a hole in her chest. She winced, placing light pressure on the gushing wound.

Tori's screams haunted air thick with apprehension. The future was written clearly in Jade's eyes. Chad could see it too. He made a decision and raised the gun a second time.

"Forgive me."

He whispered the words softly; Tori almost didn't believe he had said anything at all. Jade started coughing up blood in the background.

He pulled the trigger and fell to the ground, blood cascading from his head. Tori squeezed her eyes shut, wishing, as she had found herself doing often since her kidnapping, this all to be over. She didn't want to look at her dying friend or at the corpse of her misguided captor. She didn't want to see the room she was still locked in. She didn't want to remember anything from the past few days. But this wasn't a dream; she closed her eyes, clenched them tight, clicked her heels three times.

It was no use. She opened her eyes to see the same damn room and the same damn situation.

She started to hyperventilate. Sucking air in and out, but it still wasn't enough. It was like she was breathing for Chad too.

A raspy voice came from the other side of the room telling her to shut up before erupting into coughs again. She tried to calm herself, but the door hit the wall, and Adam appeared.

* * *

><p>In the room up above, the rest of the Hollywood Arts Gang struggled to find out which way to go. They had rushed into the room, finding it too late to follow Adam. Cat tried the first door, revealing a piece of plywood blocking the way. The next was a closet.<p>

By this time, they were desperate. Andre, Cat and Beck scrambled around the room, followed by the slightly slower Sikowitz.

Robbie stood by the window, unmoving. One by one, they each realized his silent solemnity and gravitated towards his heavy presence. Cat started bawling, Robbie joining soon after. Tears appeared in Andre's eyes too, even Sikowitz's, but Beck stood tall and stern.

His eyes were dry, blank even, but his mind was racing. He jolted suddenly, startling the others, but their attention remained transfixed on the unfurling scene below. He ran towards a door at random. The universe must have finally been listening to their prayers, because it just so happened to be the right one.

The others, however, were transfixed to the characters below.

"What the hell did you do?" Adam screamed, in shock. Though he belittled him, Chad was still his friend. (His best and only friend.)

He shouted profanities in agony, feeling something pierce the tough meat of his heart. Well, pierce wasn't really the right word for that. Something ripped into it, biting and clawing and scratching, and he felt something more than calm or anger for the first time in a long, long time.

Adam rushed forward; fumbling for the gun still resting in Chad's slowly cooling hand. He picked it up, dropped it, and picked it up again.

He aimed it, staring down the barrel with a sudden calm and methodical mentality that scared Tori. She knew he would have no second thoughts. His hand shook, and he took a moment to stabilize it.

Beck grew ever closer, but thick walls blocked them and there was no way he could reach them in time, especially when he didn't know the way.

Tori braced herself for death, taking a deep breath and shutting her eyes, though this time they weren't scrunched. When she opened her eyes, she knew she was ready and looked back at Adam with a different calm.

His mouth twitched, his finger moved towards the trigger, but Tori kept his gaze.

But, without warning, his eyes flooded with pain, and he fell forwards, almost on top of Tori.

A pair of black scissors stuck out of his back, thrown by the forgotten player in the room. The one who, of course, could handle them expertly, even when on the brink of death.

Andre collapsed, breathing out a sigh of semi-relief, leaning on the window with one arm and resting his head on the cool glass. He let the tears come, and come they did.

Beck finally reached the door to the room, and he pushed it open. It smashed against the wall, the noise alerting Tori to her rescue, and she burst into tears. He started towards her, but the rest of their friends appeared, having followed his trail of open doors. He, instead, went off to tend to Jade.

Sikowitz held back, calling the police. Robbie and Cat stood in the center of the room, giving both of them some space. They observed Jade carefully, waiting for any change in behavior.

Andre embraced Tori. His shoulder grew wet, as did the top of her head.

The sobbing stopped and the room grew quiet. The coughing had ceased.

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><p><strong>Read and review!<strong>

**Hopefully, the epilogue will be out to you guys next Friday, if not before.**


	21. Epilogue

**I updated on time! YEAH! I'm proud of me. This is the last chapter of Stalkers. I had a fun time. There's a poll on my profile about what my next story should be (it also has the synopsis, which I will put at the end of the chapter too), so either vote there or leave a review.**

**This chapter turned out much more centered around Tori than I meant it too, but oh well. At least I'm happy with it. And I'm going to apologize in advance for any cringe-worthy stuff in here.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>3<strong>**rd**** Person POV**

**(3 Months Later)**

Tori was sprawled across her white duvet, staring up at the ceiling. Headphones covered her ears as she listened to one of the songs Jade had convinced her to sing what seemed like a lifetime ago. Jade had surprised her with her musical knowledge, picking out songs she knew Tori would at least be able to tolerate (*cough* love*cough*). And one of the first things she had done after the _incident _was to buy a few (*cough*most*cough*) of them.

It had taken Tori awhile to adjust. And to be honest, she still wasn't there. She had spent many a countless nights on the phone with Andre as he helped diffuse her panic attacks. Her phone bill had gone through the roof, and Andre was now number 1 on her speed dial, but her parents had been happy to oblige when they saw her gradual improvement. They's even let him sleep over a few times, as long as he stayed on the couch downstairs.

And she was definitely better now. Nowhere near completely, but she didn't wake up in cold sweats every night. But, when she did, Andre was always there to sooth her, to absorb her fears until she fell asleep.

A soft knock on her open door somehow managed to pierce through her thoughts and the old rock. Andre stood inside the doorway, jacket in hand.

"Hey Tor."

"Andre."

"So…you okay?" He was hesitant to ask. It had become a habit for him to ask every time he saw her, but he loathed it. He never got a straight answer.

"Yeah!" Tori was a bit too eager, her voice a bit too high, and she'd always been a horrible liar. Looking slightly downcast, Andre nodded his head.

"I'm glad," he spoke slowly, like he was defusing a bomb. And maybe that's what she was, but – God – if it didn't make her feel like a freak show. He changed the subject quickly. He gave her a worried half smile that, unbeknownst to Andre, told her exactly what to expect next.

"We're gonna go visit Jade," he stated. "Do ya wanna come with?" His question was hopeful. She knew why too; he was big on facing your fears. But every damn time she tried to go with them, she had a panic attack. She hadn't seen Jade since she was loaded into the back of an ambulance, and she was surprised to find that she actually missed her tormentor.

Tori exhaled a large sigh. Biting her lip, she nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

His smile grew. "Great!" he too sighed, though his was in relief. "Everyone's waiting outside."

He fumbled for words as they walked down the stairs, trying much too hard to act cool. But Tori just laughed at his awkwardness, and his smile grew even bigger until he had a shit-eating grin on his face and managed to return to his normal smooth self.

Andre reached the door before her, pulling it open and bowing exaggeratedly. "Ms. Vega," he said in an overly posh accent and waving his arm, "Your car awaits."

She laughed again, hooking her arm with his. "Why, thank you, Jeeves."

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><p>Fifteen minutes later, she was crammed between Cat and the door in the back of Beck's car. She stared out the window at the LA scenery she had seen so many times before. But every time she looked at it, she found something new. And besides, it was better than looking at the nauseatingly sweet couple besides her. Yep, that's right. Couple. Because somewhere along the way, Robbie had stopped being scared and Cat had stopped running away. And now, Tori wanted to barf because it was just so – for lack of a better word – mushy.<p>

It was sweet, and Tori really did wish the best for them, but they were her friends and she so did _not_ want to see them make out.

The car pulled into a parking spot miraculuosly close to the doors, and the five of them stepped out. They knew their way around the hospital like the back of their hand, and the trip to Jade's room was short.

They were stalled no more than five minutes in reception, and while she could feel her heart beat pick up, Tori managed to walk the halls of her nightmare without dropping to her knees. Andre nudged her.

"Hey. You sure you're okay?"

But Tori just brushed him away again. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Beck pushed the door open without pause, but the rest didn't follow. It was obvious that the ex-couple needed some alone time. Especially today.

Jade placed another t-shirt in the suitcase lying beside the bed before turning to see who the intruder was. Beck leaned against the wall near the door, his hands in his pockets. "Hey," he smiled.

She raised an eyebrow, but returned the greeting with a slight chuckle.

"How ya feelin'?" he asked. Somehow, her eyebrow managed to move even higher up. "Right, that was a dumb question."

Jade nodded, but answered anyway. "I feel like crap, but don't tell the doctors that."

He held up three fingers and crossed his heart. "Scout's honor."

"What are you, five?"

"Nooo." He pouted as he started to move closer to her. "I'm about to turn six! You can come to my birthday party! It's next week."

"Wow, seriously? I'm pretty sure I just felt my IQ drop at the stupidity of that answer."

"Ooh, we can't have that, can we? Soon, you won't have many left!"

"Funny," she bit.

"I thought so." They were only a couple feet away now.

"Y'know what else is funny?"

"What?"

"This!" She punched him in the arm, hard.

"Dang, Jade. No need to get violent. I'm pretty sure hitting a five-year-old is child abuse."

"Really? We're still on this?"

"Yep! In fact, I might have to report you to the police. Or…" he got a malicious glint in his eye and Jade started to back away, "I could do this!" He reached out, grabbed her by the shoulders. He pulled her onto the bed and started rubbing noogies into her scalp.

"Beck..Beck…Stop!" she managed to get out between fits of laughter as he began to alternate between noggies and tickling her. "Beck…I will call the police-Beck!"

"Oh yeah, and tell them what? That you punched a five-year-old?"

The rest of the group watched through the window as the two flirted, and dammit, they were so painstakingly obvious, why couldn't they – oh.

Beck's fingers slowed, and the two found themselves mere inches apart. They leaned forward, mere inches away, when the door opened and a doctor barged in. They jumped apart, and the doctor continued, oblivious. "Well Jade, everything seems in order. Congrats! You can go home!"

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><p>There was, of course, a party. Because Tori can't leave anything alone, and she just had to. What she wasn't expecting was to feel so claustrophobic. There were too many people. Too many faces, and hanging with her friends had turned into a couple-fest. Andre had disappeared to God-knows where long ago after promising to get her a drink, and she was left alone with two couples that really should get a room.<p>

Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Tori slipped away through her back door and out into her backyard. The sun was setting and the pulsing music from inside diminished to a faint buzz. She sat down softly in the grass and stared out to the city below.

She sat for a good fifteen minutes, her thoughts running rampant and contemplating why she was here. How she had survived. How they had all survived.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Andre for the second time that day.

"This a private party?" he asked, and, when she shook her head, he joined her, placing two red plastic cups besides them. The reddening sun shone goldenrod beams on their faces, and the purple sky above settled on them like a blanket.

More time passed, but no more words were spoken. They sat complacently for the longest time, till, eventually, Tori fell into him. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he rested his atop hers. She listened to the beat of his heart as it provided the baseline for the faint song inside.

"Hey," Andre whispered quietly. "You okay?"

She turned her head to the side and looked up at him with weary eyes. Their faces were centimeters apart.

Tori couldn't take it anymore; she was tired of lying. So, for once, she tried the truth. "No."

It wasn't much, but the short, one word answer was all Andre had wanted to hear since he got her back. Their lips graced each other, the gleaming sky creating the perfect frame. After a few seconds, Tori pulled back, her gaze directed down towards their almost-touching hands. "No. I'm not okay. But – I think I'm going to be."

Andre just smiled, and he leaned in, kissing her again.

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><p><strong>*Sobs* It's over. Wow, that was emotional. Not really. I'm not good at writing romance, so this chapter probably sucked. I'll probably rewrite this story someday, because while I really liked some chapters, some made me want to burn my eyes out after rereading them.<strong>

**In case you missed the top one, check my profile for a poll on my next story or leave a review. Here are their synopsises (synopsi?):**

**1) The Victorious gang was born into a world where the United States of America doesn't exist anymore. In fact, none of the countries we know are the same. Tori's dad works for the government, but after a failed coup, she's forced out of her life of comfort into the violent streets. There she meets the rest of the gang, who are revolutionaries working against the government.**

**2) All of the Victorious characters came from violent and unhappy pasts. Now homeless, they all form a merry band of misfits as they try to survive.**

**Also, just for fun, I purposefully misspelled exactly one word in this chapter. (Not synopsises/synopsi) Enjoy.**

**Read and review! ****  
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